Laws of Attraction
by SweetWillowTree
Summary: Journalist Elena Gilbert is disgusted by lawyer Damon Salvatore, and his four live-in girlfriends. But when he offers her a place in his home, and her life falls apart around her, can she convince herself to turn to him? AU/AH
1. Have A Ball!

**A/N: This story idea came from itsCaroline, who has very kindly let me run with it. It's quite a bit different from anything else I've written, and I was a little unsure about the AU/AH aspect, but I'm really excited about it. So, please let me know what you think. Please review. And I'll try to post as fast as possible. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>Bonnie Bennett was sipping coffee in her kitchen, waiting to see if her roommate, Elena Gilbert, would surface. The poor girl had been sick with the flu for the past three days, only leaving her bedroom to use the toilet, for whatever reason was most urgent. To Bonnie's surprise, Elena rushed into the kitchen, a blur of long brown hair and clicking heels.<p>

"Feeling better?" the dark-skinned woman asked.

"Mm," Elena mumbled through a mouthful of toast. "Much. And I'm starving."

"You should be. You've been throwing up non-stop for the past three days. There's nothing left in there!" Bonnie poked the other woman's stomach and then leaned back in her chair, sliding the A section of the New York Times across the table for her roommate to read. "Looks like they've soldiered on without you at the paper though."

As per usual, now that Elena was immersed in the days news, no answer was forthcoming. She was a reporter, a journalist for the New York Times, and highly celebrated in her field. At twenty four, she was the youngest writer on staff for the respected publication, and never disappointed in her candid and exceptionally well-researched pieces on the legal problems facing the Big Apple.

Given the reporter's intense absorption of just about any newspaper she could get her hands on, Bonnie was surprised when a hiss of displeasure sounded from across the table, and paper was slammed down.

"This man is disgusting!" Elena exclaimed, pushing the offending item away.

"I dunno," Bonnie replied teasingly, looking at the picture on the front page, "I think he's gorgeous."

The other woman moaned and tugged the newspaper back. "Well, yes, I have eyes, thank you. I was talking about his harem, his cute little group of girlfriends. It's disgusting, and sexist, and -"

She stopped suddenly, choking on her own indignation.

"Well then, you aren't going to like what I have to tell you."

Elena's head snapped up and she eyed her roommate suspiciously, remaining silent until Bonnie spoke again in a mocking tone.

"One of your colleagues dropped by yesterday. Apparently, in your absence, you've been assigned to attend the upcoming charity ball at the Salvatore penthouse. You're writing a story about how wonderful his work is, and yes, how and why he has four live-in girlfriends. Since he's a lawyer, they've given it to you. Slow news week I guess..."

Bonnie watched as Elena remained silent, her mouth open a little, appearing to wait for the other woman to take it back, say it was all a joke. Bonnie cracked a half-smile. It wasn't a joke. And when Elena seemed to realize it, she turned a dark shade of red.

"Sonofa-"

* * *

><p>"I hate these things," Damon Salvatore grumbled, glaring at his own reflection in the full-length mirror in his bedroom, trying (and failing) to adjust his black tie properly.<p>

Rose walked up to him, her golden beaded dress making a soothing sound as it dragged along the floor, and slapped his hand away, stepping between him and the mirror and smirking at him. He always complained about the various social events that he attended, and she always teased him mercilessly about it.

"Maybe you should consider retiring from public life then. You could live alone, in a shack, in the middle of nowhere," she responded flippantly, laughter reflected in her green eyes.

"And how would I survive without you?" he quipped.

Before she could respond, a chipper voice sounded from the doorway.

"Is he still in a pissy mood?" a young blonde woman in a skin tight, bright blue dress asked.

Rose looked over Damon's shoulder to see her house-mate Caroline leaning against the doorframe, Jessica standing right behind her, the straps of her light-pink gown visible around her companion, her eyes wide and nervous, as usual.

"I am not pissy," Damon snapped, turning on his heel to glare at girlfriend's-number-three-and-four, as Andie, girlfriend-number-two strode in, sparkly floor-length dress flowing, clutching a necklace. "It's her fault!" he exclaimed, pointing at the statuesque woman, who cocked an eyebrow in response.

"I am not the master of your moods, Damon." She looked at Rose. "Can I borrow this for tonight? The clasp snapped on my gold chain, and I don't have anything else that matches."

Rose nodded as Damon spun back to pout pointlessly at his reflection.

"If you weren't leaving..." he drifted off.

Andie simply rolled her eyes and scoffed, winking at Caroline and Jessica before leaving the room.

"People are gonna start showing up soon," the blonde pointed out. "Jess and I are gonna go wait downstairs if you're gonna keep having a tantrum up here."

"I am not having a tantrum!" the blue-eyed man blurted, causing Caroline to snicker and Jessica to squeak nervously.

Without another word, the pair left, leaving Damon and Rose alone again.

"You know," the woman began gently, cupping her boyfriend's face and forcing him to look at her, "You could solve this whole thing by just settling down again. You're thirty now; get married, start a family."

He smiled affectionately, and place his hands on her hips.

"Would you marry me?"

Rose laughed and stepped back. "I told you last time, sweetheart, I will never marry you."

"Well then," he stepped back to pull on his black suit jacket, and then offered her his arm. "I guess I'm stuck, because no one else would ever put up with me."

* * *

><p>Elena smoothed out her black, floor-length dress nervously as the cab brought her closer and closer to Damon Salvatore's penthouse. She wasn't too sure why she was so anxious, beyond her disdain for the man himself.<p>

She had done her research; she knew that he was a lawyer, had inherited, with his best friend Alaric, the law firm 'Salvatore & Saltzman', that he had studied psychology before going to law school. He did a great deal of charity work, had been married and divorced about five years before, and now tended to surround himself with an average of four girlfriends at a time.

His current girlfriend's, in chronological order, were Rose Ingles, a teacher, Andie Starr, a television news anchor, Jessica O'Reilly, unemployed, and Caroline Forbes, a Broadway actress.

The rest of Damon's life seemed very impressive, until one got to the part about him very clearly taking advantage of and objectifying women. It was disgusting, and patriarchal, and misogynistic, and Elena had decided that she didn't like it one bit.

Too bad her job required her to be unbiased.

So when the car pulled up at her destination, she pasted on a practised smile, and slid out of the car, her media credentials in hand. When she had been cleared through security, she made her way up the elevator into the massive foyer where most of the guests seemed to be congregated.

There were lit candles everywhere to add to the dim lighting from the high ceiling. The white room opened into a large staircase, presumably leading to the more private area of the home. People were wandering, commenting on works of art and the depth of library, and how wonderfully brilliant and generous Damon Salvatore was.

This, she could manage without a problem. She plucked a flute of champagne from a server walking past her and glided through the crowd, scanning the faces for anyone she recognized. There were a few familiar people for her to speak with. Finally, one of her acquaintances pointed toward a bubbly blonde woman cutting through the crowd.

"That's Caroline Forbes," the acquaintance whispered, "She's one of the girlfriend's."

Elena nodded and excused herself, making a beeline for Ms. Forbes. She tapped the other woman on the shoulder, and smiled when their eyes met.

"Hi," she extended her hand, "I'm Elena Gilbert; I'm with the New York Times."

"Oh!" the blonde's smile widened, and they shook hands, "I'm Caroline. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Elena's spoke through the grin plastered to her face. "I'm just wondering if you have time to talk to me for a few minutes? Just to answer a few questions?"

The other woman's face brightened and she nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll be happy to answer whatever questions you have, but when Jessica gets back, I'll probably have to go."

"Oh?" Elena mumbled, reaching into her purse to pull out her recorder, "Why is that?"

She clicked the device on, and Caroline's eyes jumped from it, back up to Elena.

"Well, Jessica's a really sweet girl, but she has a hard time. She's got a really bad anxiety disorder, and usually doesn't leave home. Damon gets her to come out for these kinds of things, but they really freak her out. Talking to a reporter, being in the news, probably not good for her."

"So Damon forces her to participate in his public events?" Elena asked, with only a hint of disapproval.

Caroline caught her tone, and her eyes widened. "Oh, no! Damon isn't like that at all! But, I don't know, I guess it's important to him to stretch out Jess' boundaries. Baby steps kind of thing, y'know?"

Elena simply nodded, but the other woman continued.

"You seem like you're the type who doesn't approve of what we have going on here." She didn't wait for an answer, simply pressing on. "We're all here by choice; we all love our lives with Damon, and each other. We're all consenting adults, and this is how we choose to live."

"And it doesn't bother you at all that the four of you revolve around him? What if you decided to have another boyfriend, what would happen then?"

Caroline opened her mouth to respond, but Jessica arrived at that moment, and the blonde woman fell silent.

Elena continued the interview, on a less tense note, but she wondered what the actress would have answered.

* * *

><p>Shortly after the event began, Damon found himself to still be in a bad mood. Even the efforts of his best friend and law partner, Ric, weren't enough to lighten him up. He wasn't in the right mindset to be smiling and enjoying his life when Andie, Ric's sister and a woman he had known for a remarkably long time, was leaving him and moving across the country. Sure, he understood why she would do it; she had told him when they had begun their relationship that her career came first, and a prime post in Los Angeles was nothing to pass up.<p>

Still... Now he was spending his evening trying to see if anyone at the event caught his attention. He was glad to have Rose on his arm. He had known her his whole life, and she always knew how to read his sometimes fickle moods.

"Smarten up," she snapped under her breath at him, "Smile a little, and at least pretend like you're having a good time."

"I am smiling," he answered, grinning at her, smiling wider when she laughed.

"Smile properly; you look like a vampire!"

She reached up a hand, presumably to slap his shoulder, when she suddenly froze, her eyes locked on a point behind him.

"What?" he asked, starting to turn, but she pulled him back to face her.

"It can't – No... But then – My goodness, they could be twins!"

"What?" he repeated, again trying to turn, only to be held back by her deceptively strong hand on his shoulder.

"If you turn around, it will only make your mood worse. I'm warning you."

At that, he couldn't resist. His fingers wrapped lightly around hers, and she released. When he turned, his eyes scanned the room, searching for the source of his girlfriend's disapproval. He found it, and took an involuntary step back.

Across the room, talking to Caroline and Jessica, was his ex-wife, Katherine.

"No," he hissed, "That can't be her." He frowned, counting the days in his head. "She isn't up for parole for another few months."

"Who is she?" he heard Rose whisper behind him.

Damon's face hardened. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

And with that, he dropped her hand and began to manoeuvre his way across the room, ignoring those guests calling his name, his sole target the beautiful brunette across the room.

He was practically sweating when he finally made it to the trio, and Jessica smiled softly at him, reaching out to take his hand and squeezing it tightly. He tried to move so that she was behind him a little, feeling defensive at the sudden appearance of his ex-wife's doppelganger at his event.

"Hi," he said breathlessly, extending his free hand, "I'm Damon Salvatore. And you are?"

The stranger's brow furrowed a little, her chocolate eyes narrowing, and the spell was broken. Katherine had never looked _that_ serious, ever. Seductive? Yes. Conniving? Yes. But thoughtful and indecisive? Never.

Finally, the woman extended her hand as well, a tight smile pulling up the corners of her lips.

"I'm Elena Gilbert. I'm here for the New York Times."

He could feel the tension dissipating from his body at the sound of her voice. She was professional, but he could hear the stress lying under her tone, and he wondered what it was about. Katherine had always sounded careless. Already, he decided that the two women couldn't be more different.

That being said, he found himself inexplicably drawn to her. How could it be that a woman who was practically identical to his evil first wife could have randomly shown up at his home? And, he suddenly remembered, on a night when he had his eyes open for another woman live with him?

It wasn't until he felt Caroline's eyes on him that he realized he should be saying something. He was secretly thankful when the bubbly young woman linked arms with Jessica and began to move away.

"We should probably get around to some other guests. It was nice to meet you, Elena!"

"Yeah," the reporter answered, smiling wider and waving a recorder in her hand. "Thank you so much!"

And then they were alone. Elena's eyes drifted back to meet his, and he conjured up his most charming smile. Which was quite impressive, considering the unexpected bout of nerves that had just overcome him, making him feel like either vomiting or kissing her. Hopefully the latter, and preferably not both at once.

"So are you getting all the information that you need?" he asked conversationally.

She nodded. "I'm just doing a recap of the event. I usually report on crime in the city, but I was sick this week, so they gave me something simple."

"The Times, though. That's very impressive. You must be very talented."

An attractive blush spread across her cheeks, but her face remained relatively impassive.

"I work very hard. They appreciate that."

"I don't doubt it." He smiled again, hoping to break down the stiffness in her body. "I believe that you were the one reporting on the Jones case. I was the lead defence."

She nodded again. "I remember. I do my research very thoroughly, Mr. Salvatore."

He felt his eyebrows twitch at her formality. "Please, just call me Damon."

She didn't answer, simply shifted her weight from foot to foot, eyeing the rest of the room, and seeming very uncomfortable.

"Maybe," he began, ignoring the sudden fluttering in his stomach as her eyes refocused on him, "If you wanted to talk about tonight's event, or anything, we could have lunch this week?"

For a moment, Elena seemed to freeze. Then her eyes widened, her brows descended, and her lips tightened.

"Are you asking me out?"

He chuckled a little, and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yeah, I suppose I am."

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she could speak again. "With your _four girlfriend's_ in the room?"

The gears in Damon's head began to turn, and he understood his mistake. He raised his hands in a surrendering motion. "Oh, no! It isn't – Well, technically, Andie's leaving, so -"

The reporter looked fully angry now, and Damon took a step back.

"Oh, so just your three girlfriend's then?"

And with that, she turned and started to walk away.

Now typically, Damon Salvatore was the type to just let her go. But not with this woman. She was different, and he couldn't explain it, but he needed to know her. So he followed.

"I don't think you understand, it's an open relationship," he argued.

Elena froze, and turned to glare at him. "Thank you very much, _Mr. Salvatore_, for your wonderful hospitality, but I'm afraid I really do need to leave. Good night."

As Damon watched her enter the elevator and disappear from his sight, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to meet Ric's eyes.

"What's going on? Who was that?"

"That," Damon answered, turning back to the elevator, "was Elena Gilbert. And I need you to find me everything you can about her."


	2. Long Day's Night

**A/N: A very very long chapter. I honestly hadn't anticipated setting up this much plot, but alas, it had to be done, and it had to be here. Next chapter, we'll get into some of the more entertaining, fluffier stuff, but for right now, please enjoy Elena being a bitch, and Damon being a cocky asshole. I mean, what else is new, right?**

**Oh, right, also, I take a little shot at lawyers. For the record, I have a BA in law and justice, so I really hope that no one takes it personally.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>The morning after the event at the Salvatore home, Elena went about her routine as usual. She did some yoga while replaying her interviews from the night before, she showered and dressed, and then she met Bonnie in the kitchen for breakfast.<p>

Only on this particular morning, she was bombarded by a massive orange floral arrangement on her kitchen table.

"The hell is this?" she asked Bonnie.

The other woman yawned. "S'for you. It came this morning." She took a swig of coffee before continuing as Elena reached for the card. "Looks like you made quite the impression."

_Dear Elena; It was lovely meeting you last night. The lunch offer still stands, anytime, anyplace, if you you ever decide that I'm worth your time. Sincerely, Damon Salvatore._

The recipient tore the card in two and threw it angrily into the garbage.

"You have to be fucking kidding me! Who does this guy think he is?" she demanded rhetorically.

"Smart, rich, nice, and freaking beautiful!" her roommate replied. "Being perfect does lead one to expect a certain reaction from people. But that whole 'worth your time' bit is pretty sweet. All self-deprecating and -"

"Great! You have the flowers then!" Elena shoved the vase further toward Bonnie before storming out of the room. "And I fucking hate orange!"

* * *

><p>The rest of the morning didn't fare much better for Elena. When she arrived in the lobby of her building, there was a nervous looking young man standing there with a cup of coffee and a box of donuts. As she made her way to the door, the man intercepted her, and spoke in a trembling voice.<p>

"Are you Elena Gilbert?" She nodded, frowning, barely keeping her eyes from rolling in anticipation. "This is from Mr. Salvatore. He says that he noticed you were drinking the sweeter champagne last night, and so you might enjoy the donuts."

She held back a growl and pushed past him. "Tell him I'm on a diet," she snapped.

Her commute to work went relatively well until she arrived at the building. There, waiting at the front door, with yet another bouquet, this time blue and purple, was Damon Salvatore himself. He smiled when he saw her heading for the door, but the grin faltered when she froze in place, and even backed up a step.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him.

"Bringing you flowers. I get that we didn't exactly get off on the right -"

She was shocked. What the hell was she supposed to do with this? She didn't like him, didn't approve of his lifestyle, and was annoyed to death of him already.

"I said no, Mr. Salvatore. Can you please just leave me alone?"

And with that, she brushed past him toward the building. To her disappointment, he followed.

"Look, I'm not asking you to move in, or 'go steady', or anything like that. Just one lunch; a drink; an appetizer. Just give me a chance here."

She whirled then, levelling him with a fiery gaze. "A chance to what? Woo me? Have me replace Andie? I'm not interested in this whole..." her hands flailed as though to indicate her disdain for the entirety of his existence, "... Thing!" she finished lamely.

And with that, she turned to move away from him again, but he darted in front of her, free hand in the air as if he were surrendering.

"Okay, I get it. But at least take this," he held a business card out to her, "And if you ever need anything," his eyes narrowed seriously, "And I mean anything, please call me."

She was silent for a long moment before snatching the card and sighing.

"All right. Thank you very much, Mr. Salvatore. I'll keep that in mind."

He held out the flowers, and she rolled her eyes as she took them. Then, he offered a little bow of his head, turned around, and strode out.

When she arrived at her cubicle, Elena tossed the flowers on her desk, and then scowled powerlessly at the fruit basket in front of her computer.

"Oooh," a grating voice drawled from behind her, "Someone's having a good day."

Elena spun to meet the eyes of one Isobel Fleming. Now, Ms. Fleming was also a reporter, and much as it pained Elena to think this, because she really was a generally nice person, they just weren't in the same category. In fact, the rumour around the office was that Isobel only held onto to her job because of two things. One, her inconsistent bouts of decent writing. And two, the fact that she was sleeping with the managing editor, John Gilbert (no relation).

"I'm having a wonderful morning so far, Isobel," Elena said, forcing a smile. She was saved any further forced socialization when her cell phone rang. "Oh! I'm sorry," she skirted around the other woman, "I have to take this."

She rushed between cubicles and glanced at the caller ID. The name 'Elijah' flashed, and she felt her entire body go numb with terror. Why would he be calling her? She had stuck to their arrangement, followed it to the letter in fact. She looked around, a chill running down her back as the old paranoia set in.

And just like that, Damon Salvatore's attentions were the least of her concerns.

* * *

><p>"What if she doesn't call?" Damon whined, spinning in his office chair and being generally obnoxious.<p>

Alaric blew out a long breath, glancing up at his companion from the case file he was working on.

"Then it's her choice, man."

With a roll of his eyes, Damon stopped spinning and splayed his fingers on his desk. He and Alaric (although the latter really had only agreed out of exasperation) had spent most of their morning scouring the internet for any and all of Ms. Gilbert's articles, as well as any personal information they could get their hands on. She seemed absolutely average; her parents had died a few years before in a car crash, she had an older sister, Jenna, and a younger brother, Jeremy. She'd graduated from Harvard with a degree in Journalism. They hadn't been able to find any criminal record; no speeding tickets, parking tickets, nothing. Even her medical record was perfect, with the exception of a hospital visit the year before for some pretty serious abdominal surgery.

All that to say that she was perfect and Damon wanted her. Badly.

"How could she possibly not choose me? I'm awesome!" he grumbled, propping his feet up on the desk.

"Well," Ric's eyes flicked back down to the document in his hands, "It could have something to do with that ego of yours?" He dodged the pen that flew towards him. "Look, she probably thinks you're all controlling and dominant because of the girlfriend situation. The easiest way for you to dispel that notion is to leave her alone, wait for her to come to you. I'm sure you guys'll bump into each other all over the place, so don't worry about it."

"Or, I could go through the sister. Sister's love me." Damon paused, a malicious smirk shaping his lips. "Yours sure does."

Ric threw the pen back at him and stood up. "You're a dick."

"Pretty sure Andie said something similar a few times," he called to his friend's retreating back. "Along with 'Oh Damon! Damon!'"

And he only stopped shouting once Ric had slammed the door.

* * *

><p>As the day progressed, Elena slipped back into her normal routine, sitting through meetings, and researching assignments, and fact-checking (even though she did have people who generally did that for her).<p>

At lunch, a box of sugar-free chocolates was delivered. The attached note read: "_Heard you were on a diet (can't imagine why)... Enjoy the sugar-free goodness! - D.S._"

She was rapidly finding that her natural reaction to this ridiculous man was to roll her eyes, which she did before leaving the box in the staff lunchroom for her coworkers.

In the evening, she met with a few contacts about a couple of stories that she was working on, and so didn't get back to her apartment until late. When she exited the elevator at her floor, she froze in her tracks. From there, she could see that her front door was hanging off its hinges, and for the second time that day, a chill paralysed her.

The apartment was a disaster. Furniture was torn apart and upended; every door had been damaged in some way; the two sinks and the bathtub had been filled to the brim, and there was evidence on the floor that they had overflowed. As Elena slowly inspected the damage, her mouth agape, she spotted Bonnie sitting on a replaced armchair in the corner, her face stoney and her eyes filled with tears.

"Here," the woman croaked, holding out a piece of paper, "This was on the door."

Elena took it, and briefly reflected on how full-circle who day had come.

"_Elena, I would not recommend that you ignore our calls. My brother wishes to renegotiate your agreement. Sincerest regards, Elijah_"

As Elena attempted to process the note, Bonnie stood and cleared her throat.

"This is just... It's too much, 'Lena," she whispered shakily. "I can't do this anymore. I know it isn't your fault, but... I just can't." She was outright crying now as she stared at her best friend.

Slowly, Elena nodded, tears welling up for her as well, though she never tore her gaze from the paper in her trembling hands.

Bonnie continued: "I'm gonna go stay with my Dad tonight." And as she brushed past her, she slid a hand onto her now-ex roommate's shoulder. "Maybe you should consider that whole 'Damon Salvatore' thing?"

A minute later, the elevator dinged, and when she heard the door close, Elena sank to the floor, curled up, her body wracked with sobs, until she had the strength to pull the despised business card from her pocket.

* * *

><p>It took until the wee hours of the morning for Elena to sort things out with the police and the superintendent of the building, although she kept the Damon Salvatore's business card, and the threatening note, in her pocket.<p>

She sent an email to John, her editor, and informed him that her apartment had been broken into and she would be working from home the next day, and then she gathered up all of her courage to meet with Elijah.

They met in an alley a few blocks over from her apartment building, and the boldness of his choice of location only terrified her more. When she arrived, he was already there, leaning against a graffiti-covered brick wall, looking distinctly out of place with his blazer and slacks.

"Elena," he exclaimed, a friendly smile on his face.

She knew it was a dangerous mask, and didn't believe him for a minute. And when he moved towards her, she found herself skipping back a few feet on instinct.

"A little skittish, are we?" he asked her, his smile slipping for a moment at her reaction.

"Cut the crap, Eli, and the little intimidation techniques. I get it; you're scary. I figured that out a long time ago. So what do you and Klaus want now?"

The man simply stared at her in amusement for a few seconds before answering. "My brother has decided that your debt has taken too long to pay back. He is doubling the amount of your weekly payments. The same arrangement is in effect; you will drop the cash at the same location. No police, no problems, just the money."

"But Elijah, that's -"

"I'm aware of how much it is, Elena," he drawled. "Or we could work out another arrangement?" He unabashedly scanned her body slowly from head to toe, and back up again to meet her eyes. "Back to how things were, only a little more honest this time."

She swallowed down the bile at his disgusting offer, and shook her head.

"No?" he probed. "Oh well, it was worth a shot. The money is due in two days, Elena."

As he finished speaking, he darted forward and had his hands gripping her hips before she had a chance to back away again.

"And it's been lovely to see you."

He leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips, and then he was gone, leaving Elena shaking against the dank alley wall.

* * *

><p>At 8 o'clock in the morning, Elena found herself at a non-descript coffee shop, flipping Damon Salvatore's now-ragged business card nervously as she pondered her choice. She finally dropped the darned thing and focused instead on tapping the cheap china coffee cup in front of her.<p>

She knew that she was probably making a bad decision. She had no feelings for this man beyond revulsion and irritation, but it would be a win-win situation. As long as he kept his hands to himself, they would be forced to get to know each other by virtue of living under the same roof, and she would be able to inhabit a secure, rent-free environment, and thus reroute the majority of her income to paying off the debts that were now, apparently, hers.

She looked up as the man she was waiting for slid into the booth, a grin on his face that she was itching to slap off. He had yet another bouquet of flowers in hand, this time lilies, and Elena fought really hard to not roll her eyes at him, again.

"So," Damon began, "I'm probably shooting myself in the foot here, but, to be honest, I really didn't expect you to cave this soon."

Elena scowled at him, her fists clenching and unclenching in her lap. "I am not caving; I am re-evaluating." She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I figure that you'll have a spare bedroom. And since I report on legal matters for the paper, and you're a lawyer and all, it makes sense."

He was still grinning, and she still really wanted to slap him. But he nodded to indicate that he understood her point.

"And," she continued, "since we're being honest, I feel that I should tell you up front that I really don't like you."

"Yeah," he chuckled, "I got that message loud and clear."

"And I'm not going to sleep with you."

His eyes widened. "I wouldn't expect you to." Then he waggled his eyebrows. "Yet." She narrowed her eyes at him, and with a sigh, he leaned back in his seat.

"Look, I'm really not a bad guy. I'm not looking to force myself on anyone. The bedrooms all have locking doorknobs in case you're that worried about it. The rule is that I'm not looking for love. I thought I had it once, and it damn near killed me, and I really don't want to go through that again. So companionship, yeah. Sex, I wouldn't say no. But not some epic star-crossed romance. I mean, Rose is my best friend, and Andie is my other best friend's sister. Caroline and Jessica were in trouble when we met, and rather than go through the whole 'courtship' thing, I helped them out by giving them a place to stay too. "

She thought about that for a moment, chewing her bottom lip anxiously. "Okay then, how do we do this?"

He brightened immediately. "Well, Andie doesn't move out for another few weeks, but there is another bedroom between her and Rose's bathroom, and the one that Caroline and Jessica share. Just if you wanted to move in, like, today."

She nodded, and he didn't really seem like he knew how to take it, because he frowned a little. "Sounds good. Should I bring a bag by now, or later this afternoon?"

His jaw dropped, and she felt a sharp jolt of satisfaction at finally wiping any form of smile off his face.

"Not to shoot myself in the foot _again_, but what the hell happened? Because just yesterday I was a little afraid that you were going to call the police on me for stalking."

She hesitated, not wanting to give him too much information on her current circumstances. "My place got broken into, and it's gonna take a few days to repair the damage. The insurance company was going to pay for a hotel, but I figured..."

She trailed off, and he smiled again. "Not a problem. I'll call and have the cleaning staff prepare your room. You can go in whenever you want." He was practically vibrating with excitement, she noted, until he checked his watch and pouted a little. "Damn. I have to head into the office. Here," he produced a pen and wrote out a phone number on the back of the business card still lying abandoned on the table. "This is Caroline's cell number. She has today off, so she can give you a tour of the place. Do you need a ride? I can get a car to come and pick you up."

"No," she shook her head, "I still have to pack up my stuff at my old place, and I'll call Caroline when I'm on my way."

"Great!" he answered.

Then his entire demeanour changed, and he just looked at her. For a moment, his fingers twitched, and Elena had the mad thought that he was going to reach out and touch her. But then the moment faded, and he smiled charmingly.

"Well then, I'll head out, and I'll see you at home for dinner."

He pushed the flowers towards her, and she offered him a strained smile as he rose and left, glancing at her one last time over his shoulder.

"Oh Elena," she murmured to herself when he was gone, "What, oh what, are you getting yourself into?"

* * *

><p>About an hour later, and across town, an exuberant Damon Salvatore bounced into Alaric's office.<p>

"I win!" he announced to his friend.

To his credit, Ric didn't even glance up from his computer screen. "Won what now?"

"She called," Damon informed the other man, dropping himself into a chair across the desk. "She's moving in today."

Well that sure got Ric's attention. His eyes snapped to his law partner's face, suspiciously reading him for any signs that he was lying. They were lawyers, after all.

"Are you talking about Elena Gilbert? What did you do?"

Blue eyes flashed, and a frown appeared. "I didn't do anything more than be my awesome, charming self. Is that so bad?"

"Such a dick," Alaric murmurs, turning back to the screen before holding up a silencing finger. "And don't you dare go there again."

* * *

><p>Luckily for Elena, Jenna, her older sister, only had a morning class that day and was able to help with the moving effort. And even luckier, she was able to drag her boyfriend, Logan, with her. That, in and of itself, was surprising, because last Elena had checked, the couple were on the way out.<p>

"Jesus," Jenna breathed, surveying the damage, "Did they take anything?" she asked her younger sister, referring to the robbers who weren't really robbers.

When she had come to the realization that the Klaus situation was much more complex than she'd originally thought, a realization that had come on over a year before, Elena had agonized over whether or not to go to her older sister for help. As she became more and more aware of the dangers littered around her life because of this issue, she decided against it, allowing the elder to remain blissfully unaware.

"Uh, just some cash," Elena answered in a voice that sounded to high to her own ears. "I guess the rest of it would have been too hard to sell, or something."

Logan came up behind the two women, and placed what was meant to be a comforting hand on Elena's shoulder. She flinched, her nerves still shot from the past twenty four hours, and hoped he didn't notice. He didn't.

"And you're sure about moving in with this guy? You don't even know him," he stated quietly, his eyes reflecting concern.

"I'm sure," the younger woman answered, smiling reassuringly before leading the way further into the apartment to begin packing.

It took a few hours to get everything into boxes, a few hours that Jenna spent trying to probe Elena for more information on her new... boyfriend, ("Housemate," Elena insisted) while the dark-haired woman tried desperately to change the subject.

"I mean," the bubbly older woman said, flipping her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder as she dropped another box near the door, "Damon freaking Salvatore! How did you do it?"

The younger simply shrugged. "Wrong place at the wrong time?"

Jenna snorted. "Yeah right. He's gorgeous, and rich, and gorgeous, and -"

"Thanks!" Logan shouted from the other room, and Elena giggled.

Jenna simply rolled her eyes in exasperation before finally adopting a serious expression.

"Look, Elena, why don't you just give this guy a chance? I know that you take this kind of stuff so seriously, but from what you've told me, it's not like he's looking for anything too deep either. Just have fun with it."

"I'm moving in with the guy," Elena responded, leaning over to grab another box. "How much more of a chance does he need?"

* * *

><p>It was with a straight spine and a fluttering stomach that Elena stepped out of her sister's car (and not a minute too soon, as the couple had started bickering) and stared up to the top floor of the building that would now be her home. She tugged her rolling suitcase behind as she shuffled through the door and was met by an entirely too enthusiastic Caroline.<p>

"Oh my gawd, I can't believe you're here! I thought, after talking to you... But anyways, you're here, and it's gonna be awesome!"

The actress grabbed Elena's free arm and linked it with hers, leading her to the elevators.

"No one's home yet, except for Jessica, but that's totally normal. But Damon, Rose and Andie all usually come in at the same time, which is in, like, half an hour, so then we can have supper, and all get to know you and stuff. I'll be you have a really interesting life. Like, this one time, I played a reporter, and I got to be all mysterious and sexy and stuff. It was a lot of fun. But right now, I'm auditioning to play, oh you'll never guess, a Broadway actress. Isn't that ridiculous? And it's a musical, so I'll get to sing and dance too, which I haven't gotten to do in a while, and -"

The rambling continued as the two of them waited for the elevator, got in, rode all the way up, arrived at the penthouse, dragged Elena's suitcase up the stairs, and finally arrived at her room.

"So this is yours," Caroline continued, the new topic bleeding into the old one (something about sheep?) as she didn't even seem to stop to breathe. "It's right between mine and Rose's, which is cool. You can use my bathroom, since Jessica hardly ever goes in there anyways, and -"

"Okay!" Elena blurted. "That's all great, but I just would like to get settled, okay?"

The blonde's eyes widened and she nodded. "Right, sorry. I talk a lot. I'll just leave you to it, then. If you need anything, I'm right next door."

* * *

><p>True to what Caroline had said, Elena found herself seated at a wide, round, table an hour later, trying not to blush as the three other women (Jessica didn't say anything) examined her, while Damon himself remained silent throughout the meal. The girlfriend's, however, saw no problem in interrogating their newest member on everything from her childhood to her favourite television shows to her most horrific New York cab stories.<p>

Elena answered all of their questions patiently, and tried to ignore the fact that Damon's eyes never once left her face. He spent the entire time gazing at her with a strange mix of curiosity and awe in the expression on his face. He was finally forced to snap out of it when Elena tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn.

"I'll get the dishes," he announced, hopping to his feet and moving around the table, ushering the women out of the room.

She finally managed to convince the other women that she was exhausted (and that she was), and so when she eventually crawled into her new bed, in her new bedroom, she fell asleep immediately.

* * *

><p>But down the hall...<p>

"Did you guys see the way he was staring at her?" Andie asked Rose, Caroline and Jessica.

"Ohmigod, I know, it was too cute!" Caroline burst, looking over at Jessica. "He is so in love with her!"

At that, Andie met Rose's eyes, and the two older women smiled softly at each other.

"I haven't seen him look at anyone like that since Katherine," Rose whispered. "He needs to do something about this. He can't keep on the way he's been going forever!"

Caroline brightened, if that was at all possible, and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "We are totally gonna hook them up!"


	3. The Mission

**A/N: Ugh! Rewrote this chapter late at night because Elena was way too much of a bitch. Even I started to hate her a little bit. And I got distracted by season 2 of TVD on DVD that I was marathoning with my baby sister. My 21 year old brother wandered in and started making fun of it, so I wound up trying to justify the drama ("But, see, it actually is life-and-death here! THEY COULD ACTUALLY DIE!") until he started poking fun at the Stefan and Elena scenes, and then I just couldn't. There really is no justification for that level of obsession and co-dependance, I swear. And I realize that I'm going off on a tangent, but I just want to reiterate that I like Stefan, and I like Elena, but the second they talk to and/or about each other, it's like they shut down entirely and are working solely on a lower brain function that serves only to remind them to cry and profess their love. Like, seriously children, that's enough now. There are other words in the English language aside from, "I love you" and "Keep you safe".**

**On a more story-related note, reporter-Elena is wicked old school. Just sayin'. A lot of random stuff happens in this chapter, mostly because I, like you, really want Elena to just suck it up and fall in love with Damon already. This should be the only chapter that's quite this sporadic; they should be a little more consistent from here on in, but it was necessary for character development.**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p><em>The sun shone softly into his bedroom as Damon slowly woke from his deep sleep. He kept his eyes closed as his arm tightened around the warm body pressed against him. The breathing of the sleeping woman, mixed with the hazy patterns of light on the ceiling when he did open his eyes, created a relaxing atmosphere, and he smiled.<em>

_Carefully, he rolled onto his side, pressing his lips to the olive-skinned shoulder that had been, until a moment ago, against his own. He was rewarded with a low sigh as the woman stirred._

"_Good morning, Elena," he murmured into her skin._

"_Mmm... 'Morning." She rolled over and kissed him lightly. "My favourite way to wake up."_

_He smiled against her lips and slid his tongue into her mouth. _

"_I love you," he heard her say, even though her mouth was clearly otherwise occupied._

"_I love you too," he answered somehow._

_He rolled back, pulling her on top of him. But when she pulled away for a breath, he frowned. Her eyes were lined in dark makeup, and her face was twisted into a manipulative expression._

"_Katherine?" he breathed._

"_That's me, lover," she answered, stroking his face affectionately. "I hear you're trying to replace me."_

_He tried to sit up. "How did you -?" But she shoved him back down._

"_Sh..." she cooed._

_And then, as though in slow motion, she pulled back an arm, and thrust her hand into his chest. He gasped, and then screamed as he felt her fingers wrap around his heart. _

"_You won't be needing this," she grunted as she pulled the organ from its living cage, "It's always gonna be mine anyways."_

Damon sat up with a yell, sweating and breathing heavily. His fingers scrambled to his chest, feeling for a hole that wasn't there. He blinked rapidly in the morning sunlight, simultaneously trying to repel the images from his dream, and hold onto them. It had been months since he had last dreamt of Katherine, and it brought up a whole host of negative thoughts and emotions.

"Christ," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes and swinging his legs out of bed. "She just about ruined your damn life, idiot. Stop thinking about her!"

He shuffled across the room, scratching an itch on his hip just under the waistband of his boxers. Once he'd gotten to the hallway en route to the kitchen for breakfast, he stopped as the memory of big brown eyes flashed through his mind. Elena. She was already jittery enough at the thought of being in the same damn house as him; showing up half-naked would probably just set her off in the wrong direction.

_And that_, he thought wryly, turning to fetch a t-shirt, _is the first time that my being in any way naked as ever threatened to scare a woman._

* * *

><p>Rose and Elena were having breakfast alone, chatting amiably as the younger woman question the elder about her job teaching primary school. Caroline and Andie had both had to leave for work, and Jessica was still in her room.<p>

"That's terrible!" Elena exclaimed, covering her mouth so as not to spray the remains of her orange juice on the table. "What did you do?"

"I walked over to my desk," Rose described, pushing her eggs around her plate absentmindedly, "Pulled out a stack of corrections that I had to do, slammed them on his desk, and told him that if he's so bored with listening to me, then he might as well make himself useful. And if he corrected any of the answers wrong, a point would be taken off his own grade."

"Harsh," the younger giggled, taking another sip of her juice.

Rose continued to recount horror stories when she realized that she quite liked Elena. The newcomer was smart and quick-witted, and also very kind when Damon was nowhere nearby.

And as if on cue, the man himself stalked into the kitchen, making a beeline for the coffee machine before searching the cupboards for an appropriately sugary and unhealthy box labelled 'cereal', although Rose was entirely certain that that label was a lie. Marshmallows are not breakfast food.

"Good morning, Damon," she said deliberately, hoping to shake him out of whatever mood he was in.

He usually was a morning person, and so she could not imagine why this morning, the first morning that Elena was here, and thus one of the best times for him to make a good impression, he should be intolerable. Not that Rose was quite ready to jump in with Caroline's plotting to get the two together, but she did think that it would be quite nice if her oldest friend could actually find real love.

He turned with his box of whatever he was passing off as breakfast and took two steps to sit down at the table.

"Good morning, Rose," he answered antagonistically. Then he looked over at Elena. "Morning," he mumbled quietly.

_Good Lord, I am not staying here to watch this,_ Rose thought, glancing over at the clock.

"Oh, well, it's nearly 8 o'clock, I really need to head out."

Damon's scowl dissolved into a panicked expression as his eyes hopped from Elena to Rose. Amusingly enough, the younger woman's expression was identical.

"But, you don't have to be there for another half hour!" the man blurted.

"I have a student teacher coming in. Prep work, you know." She stood up and deposited her dishes in the sink, turned and made her way back over to Damon. She grabbed his hair lightly and tugged his head back to meet her eyes. "It is entirely too early for you to be this miserable. Cheer up, or go back to bed."

And with that, she kissed him on the forehead, waved to Elena and walked out.

She didn't go very far, to be honest. In reality, a substitute teacher was taking her class as Rose herself was being sent to some seminars downtown. Thus, she didn't have to be anywhere for over an hour. So she propped herself just outside of the kitchen door, and listened.

And listened. And listened.

_Oh, come on Damon._

"So how did you sleep?" she heard her boyfriend say.

_Success!_

"Very well, thank you," Elena answered stiffly.

"Well that's good." It was silent again for a while. "What time do you work?"

Rose heard the scrape of a fork. "I have a meeting at ten."

"Well that's... Good... Again..."

_Are you fucking shitting me?_

The teacher pushed herself away from the wall, and slid through the door of the kitchen again.

"Damon," she said loudly, and both of the others visibly loosened up at her voice, "I forgot that I have a box to bring with me. Could you help me bring it from my room to the elevator?"

"Seriously?" he whined.

"Ye-es," she mocked him.

He huffed out a disgruntled breath, but followed her out of the room regardless.

"What the hell are you doing?" Rose exclaimed in hushed tones once they'd reached a safe distance from the kitchen.

"What are you talking about? Where the hell is this box?" He was looking around, confused and oh-so-adorable with his mussed morning hair.

"There is no box," Rose explained slowly. "I needed to talk to you. Since when do you get all nervous around women?"

The penny dropped, and Damon suddenly frowned. "I'm not nervous. She just hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, love; she just doesn't know you. And," she continued, a small smile on her lips, "Maybe you shouldn't have shown up to breakfast with your little chicken legs on display." She pinched him for good measure.

"I," he began, clearly affronted, "Do _not_ have chicken legs!"

"Just a little bit."

Damon's jaw dropped, and Rose turned him around and began marching him back towards the kitchen.

"Now, go back in there, and say _something_," she ordered.

A sudden jolt of panic shot through her when he was out of sight, and she made her way to the elevator.

_Please, oh please, don't talk about the weather!_

* * *

><p>"It's getting pretty warm. Good to know that summer is on it's way," Damon attempted, although Elena simply nodded back.<p>

She wasn't really trying to be rude, but she wasn't particularly a morning person, and although she'd slept like a rock, she'd also been haunted by terrifying nightmares about her little brother, Jeremy, Elijah, and Klaus. Damon's obvious and forced attempts to make conversation just required more energy out of her than she was able to give at the moment.

She took a deep breath, and finally gave in.

"So what's your schedule like? Do you work 9 to 5, or from here, or...?"

He glowed. Actually glowed now that she was speaking to him.

"It changes," he said flippantly, leaning back in his chair. "I don't have anything solid until lunch, and I'm booked until late tonight. But," he pushed himself forward again, folding his arms on the table, "If you wanted to spend some time getting to know each other tomorrow night?"

"Um..." She really didn't want to. She had enough on her plate without having to fend of Damon's very flattering, but still very unwanted, advances. "I think I'm busy tomorrow night, so -"

"Oh!" He frowned a little. "What do you have planned? Maybe I could join you, or we could -"

Elena shook her head and stood up, grabbing her glass and making for the sink.

"I don't think so. But thanks anyway."

When she turned back, she realized that Damon had followed her, and they now stood toe-to-toe, her back pressed against the counter.

"Are you really sticking to this?" His eyes flashed, and her stomach tightened. She wasn't sure if it was nerves or... something else, but it had her attempting to back away from him further. She couldn't. "You've moved into the damn house! Are you really just _not_ going to talk to me?"

"I told you how I felt when I accepted your offer," she answered in a deceptively strong voice. "What did you expect? Are you going to force me to spend time with you? Are there rules for that?"

His jaw dropped, and he took a few steps away.

"Seriously?" he all but breathed, offended. "You think that I -?" He growled wordlessly, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Hey, if you're looking for someone who gives orders, talk to Rose, or Andie. Because half the time, I'm pretty sure I'm just their bitch. Caroline doesn't listen to a word I say unless we're in bed; Jessica's the only one who listens to me, and even that's limited."

His angered confession shocked Elena, almost to a point of speechlessness. But not quite.

"Oh!" She stepped towards him, enjoying the fact that now, he was the one backing away. "So you're finding it difficult to control your four girlfriends? Well that's just too damned bad!" She moved past him, towards the door to the kitchen. "God, you're disgusting! I'm going to work. Have a nice day!"

* * *

><p>A few days later, Elena arrived at work to a staff meeting, where she would be receiving her next assigned story. She hoped it would be a long one. Over the past few weeks, she'd had to work on a different project every day, and it wasn't nearly as satisfying as something that required all of her attention.<p>

"How's the new living situation?" Isobel whispered in a faux-friendly tone, as the younger woman seated herself at the boardroom table.

Elena's eyes widened momentarily. She hadn't told anyone about where she was living, aside from changing the address in her personnel file.

"How did you -?"

Her question was cut off when the editor entered, and the room quietened.

Once the regular pleasantries were disposed of, John looked around the room at the reporters, and his eyes landed on Elena.

"Gilbert, you're up first. The Ricardo case is up for appeal, and we would like for you to cover it. Dig into the original proceedings, talk to the lawyers for the defence -"

"Got it," Elena interrupted. She knew how to do her job.

She also knew who the lawyer was for the defence.

"Here. I brought you a sandwich."

* * *

><p>Damon looked up from the computer and smiled widely as his eyes met Elena's. This was the first time they'd been alone in a room since their argument in the kitchen her first morning in his home.<p>

"Thank you. And it's really nice to -"

She took a seat, her face set in a very professional and serious expression.

"I'm here for work, and I don't think either of us has a lot of time to waste chatting, right?"

He nodded solemnly, pulling the paper-wrapped sandwich toward himself as brown-eyed beauty across from him pulled out a tape recorder and notebook.

"Alright," she clicked the recorder on, "Now, what – Crap."

He frowned. "What's wrong?"

To his surprise, she actually laughed lightly.

"Oh, nothing. I just -" She met his eyes, and seemed to be weighing her options. "I keep a journal using this," she held up the recorder in one hand, while the other dug around in her purse, "And I forgot to change the tape this morning. I just remembered now."

"Anything juicy?" he asked after swallowing his first bite.

"You wish," she mumbled back, focused on her purse as she searched for a new tape. "Ah ha!" she declared, her hand held victoriously in the air, new tape in her palm. She put it in the device, and clicked it on.

"Alright, Mr. Salvatore..." He snickered, and she shot him a silencing look. "Why have you and the client decided to appeal the original decision?"

"Some new evidence came to light that we feel could have reasonably affected the verdict in the original case."

He noticed that, as she recorded the goings-on, she also took notes, biting her lip adorably in the process.

"And what kind of evidence?"

The rest of the interview continued in much the same way; Damon observing every little thing that his new girlfriend-of-sorts was doing, as she worked hard to get all of the information that she needed.

It became a sort-of routine as the days passed, and Elena began to stray from her line of questioning to focus on something else, although Damon was much less pleased than he thought he would be. This was because her new interest, when their interviews were finished, was his office. Yes, his office.

It was a large office, and quite typical, he thought. There was a painting on the wall, an abstract work entitled, 'Hidden Spaces', above a brown leather loveseat and coffee table, opposite a large bookshelf. His desk was in front of the window, with a number of brown leather armchairs on the other side for guests.

"Why do you keep these books here?" Elena asked one day. "They aren't typically used for reference in legal cases, are they?"

He shut the drawer to the filing cabinet that he was flipping through to look at her. She was pointing at some fictional books that he had on the shelf, alongside his copies of legal texts, philosophical treatises, and the like.

"Inspiration," he answered, walking over to pluck 'The Lorax' from the shelf. "'Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not,'" he quoted.

"Well that's... interesting." She was blushing as she said it, and turned back to the shelf quickly.

Damon almost cheered.

* * *

><p>As the weeks progressed since Elena's arrival, Caroline went out of her way to (very obviously) attempt to soften the reporter on the subject of Damon. She tried to lure them into the same rooms, and 'accidentally' lock them in together, stole cell phones and wreaked havoc, and, the most irritating, she talked Elena's ear off about how wonderful Damon was.<p>

"Okay, Caroline, enough!" Elena exclaimed, as the blonde followed, chattering, to her bedroom door. "I get it; he's great. But I just can't right now, okay?"

The other woman opened her mouth to answer, but there was a soft thud from Jessica's bedroom, followed by a scuttling sound, and then silence again. Elena stared at the closed door with concern.

"Oh, ignore that," Caroline told her. "I'm serious, she does weird stuff in there sometimes. Damon's really the only one who ventures in when she's making noise."

"Why?"

"I'm pretty sure it's his psych background. He told me about her once... She has, like, anxiety and aga-something. I'm not too -"

"Agoraphobia?" Elena supplied.

"Yeah! That! Crowds, and spaces, and stuff. But she's way better since I've gotten here. She has doctors who come in every few days to talk to her, and Damon's, like, really good about getting her out of her room and outside. She won't even walk down the street with me!"

"Interesting..." the brunette murmured, looking back at the door one last time.

She had the opportunity a few days later to observe what Caroline had described. Elena was working from home that day, researching and using Damon's extensive legal library within the penthouse for her next article, when she dropped a heavy book. It slammed to the floor in the office, and she heard a series of thumps from Jessica's room, followed by footsteps, and the sound of the door opening.

Curious, Elena made her way down the hall until she could see through the crack between the door and the frame.

Damon was opening the bedroom window before he turned around and crouched next to the empty bed.

"Jessica?" he said softly. "Jess? It was a book that fell; nothing happened."

There was a muffled answer, and then Damon stood up and backed away. A few seconds later, Jessica appeared from under the bed, taking her boyfriend's outstretched hand and allowing him to pull her up. Her wide eyes took in the open window, and the gap in the door (although she didn't see Elena peeking through) and visibly relaxed.

Damon leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead and she smiled at him, a little.

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

"Good," she answered quietly. "Safe." His lips quirked up, and Jessica reached a hand up to stroke the side of his face. "Thank you."

He only smiled wider, and then they moved to lay down together on the bed, Damon's arms wrapped around her as she flipped through channels on a television that Elena couldn't see.

Speaking of Elena, she found herself enthralled with the image before her, the tenderness with which Damon pressed kisses into Jessica's hair, and the joy with which Jessica spoke, quietly, about what was happening on her show.

It took a few minutes for Elena to shake her head, and remember that she wasn't supposed to like Damon at all.

* * *

><p>As work progressed on Damon's case, he was around the house less and less. Elena got to know the other women much better, and, as luck would have it, she was the only one available to accompany Andie to the airport when the day came for her to leave for Los Angeles.<p>

"You really didn't have to do this," the older woman said to the younger as their car pulled up in front of their building.

"It's my pleasure," Elena responded, a genuine smile gracing her features.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, glancing out the window, Elena still familiarizing herself with the neighbourhood, while Andie reflected nostalgically on her time spent in the city.

"So," Elena began, "You're Alaric's sister, right?" The other woman nodded. "The last names...?"

"Starr sounds better than Saltzman on TV."

Elena nodded, and they were quiet again until Andie spoke.

"Fair warning: Caroline's made it her life mission to get you and Damon together, for real."

The journalist laughed, nodding. "Yeah, I caught on after the second time she 'accidentally' locked us both in the pantry. She really isn't all that great with the subterfuge."

"No kidding. But she's very sweet, and kind of has a point."

A sigh escaped the younger woman's lips. "And that would be?"

Andie met Elena's stare dead on. "That Damon is completely swept away by you. And he really is worth it, if you can work through the baggage."

"I'm getting that from all sides, thanks. But if he's so worth it, why are you leaving?"

There was no bitterness in the broadcaster's voice when she answered. "We were never meant to be that way. We hooked up a bit in college together, and it just sort of extended after his marriage ended. But that's all it's meant to be, and we're both fine with that."

"And that doesn't bother you?" Elena asked, frowning. "You don't feel like you wasted any time?"

"Not at all. My career is my top priority, so I would never have been able to manage a 'real' relationship anyways. This was all that I needed; the right thing at the right time."

Elena nodded, and looked back out the window, absorbing what Andie had said, and trying desperately to hold onto her original, and rapidly fading, disdain for Damon.

* * *

><p>That same night, the women were surprised when Damon came home in time for dinner. His brow was furrowed, his eyes tired, and he didn't say much, if anything, during the meal. Rose followed him up to his room after they'd finished eating, having seen this behaviour before.<p>

"You hit a wall with the case?" He nodded from his spot on the edge of his bed, and she reached down to take his hand. "Why don't we go see a movie later? I just have a few lesson plans to finish, and then I'm all yours? It'll take your mind off of things, and you can come back to it fresh later."

"Yeah... Yeah, that sounds good. I'm just gonna take a nap if you wanted to order tickets online. Whatever you want to see."

He kicked off his shoes and flopped back, so Rose leaned over, kissed him lightly on the lips and turned off the lights on her way out.

She went to her own room, and, after ordering tickets for _Thor _(not her type of film, but she figured that Damon would find it suitably distracting), she pulled her binder out of her bag, and began writing out notes on what she would be teaching her class for the next few weeks. She had just gotten to the last five when Caroline sauntered in, sipping her can of diet cola.

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked.

"Finishing up some work, and then going to wake up Damon. We're going to see a movie," Rose answered, not even bothering to look up.

"Tonight?" Caroline asked, but the tone of her voice made the teacher's head snap up.

"Yes, tonight. Why? What are you -?"

She didn't finish her sentence, because at that exact moment, Caroline's drink tipped, spilling the sugar-filled substance all over Rose's lesson plans. The latter's jaw dropped.

"Oops," Caroline squeaked.

"You! I can't – What are you playing at? This will take me hours to rewrite!"

The actress grinned with satisfaction before responding. "Well, that means that you're busy, and I have early rehearsal, so I guess Elena will have to go with Damon to the movies, huh?"

Rose was speechless, overwhelmed with feelings of frustration that she would have to redo her work, and something akin to pride at Caroline's sneakiness.

There was a knock at the door, and Damon poked his head in.

"Hey," he croaked, having just woken up. "Are you ready to go?"

Rose's mouth moved soundlessly until Caroline answered for her.

"There's gonna have to be a change of plans..."

* * *

><p>"I would have killed her."<p>

Damon shook his head a little, tearing his eyes away from the snack bar menu to focus on the tiny brunette next to him.

"Who now?" he asked, chuckling a little.

"Caroline. And I would have made it look like a freak accident. Or maybe I just would have done something weird to her hair... She seems like the type that would be more afraid of _that_ than death."

Damon nodded. "She has been a little off lately..."

He was hit with a pointed look as they took a step forward in line. "A little off? This whole mission of hers is getting dangerous! What if she spilled soda all over your computer, huh?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "I don't think she would have – Wait! What mission?"

Elena gave him a disbelieving look. "Really? You haven't noticed? The pantry incidents; the tricks with the cell phones; and that time with the bathroom that I'm still really embarrassed about."

She turned back to the snack bar, busying herself with examining their choice of candy, but she couldn't hide the blush spreading over her cheeks at the memory. He himself hadn't been too embarrassed when Caroline had apparently led Elena into his room, insisting that they needed to get something out of his closet, and walking right into his bathroom, 'by accident'. While he was showering. In his completely transparent, glass-enclosed shower.

As a matter of fact, he had found it extremely funny.

And now, he sort of wanted to take Caroline in his arms and hug her for her many (clumsy) attempts.

They ordered their treats ("Wait, you're getting butter on your popcorn? I thought you were on a diet or something!"), and found their seats, Elena sipping her soda happily, and Damon hesitant to say anything, lest he undo any of the progress that he'd already made.

They had been sitting together for a few minutes, watching the pre-show, when Damon leaned over, and whispered: "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked, confused.

"Coming out. It's nice. We should do it more often."

She watched him for a few seconds before her face softened, and she smiled a little.

"Yeah, maybe we should."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The Lorax is my favourite book ever. I have it memorized. Word. For. Word.**


	4. Friends Now

**A/N: No angry tirade this time. Actually, I got this one out about a day before I thought I would. Mostly because my roommate decided on this lovely Tuesday evening to have a group of loud drunks in my living room while I should be sleeping, so I finished this chapter.**

**Speaking of, this one's a turning point people! Turning point!**

**And I cannot describe how much I appreciate all of the awesome reviews that I've been getting! I've had a really rough couple of weeks, and you guys have just been carrying me through it. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>It had always entertained Elena the way that people's bedrooms represented their personalities and thus, she had always had a terrible habit of sneaking into other people's rooms to look around. She never snooped; she simply enjoyed the image that reflected the soul of the inhabitant. And now that she lived in a home with four other people, she had plenty of new territory to cover.<p>

At the top of the stairs and to the right were three bedrooms and a bathroom. The furthest was recently vacant, though the remnants of Andie's presence were still visible. The walls were painted off-white, which one only would only notice due to the glaring and sterile white of the rest of the penthouse. The black wooden furniture and matching queen-sized bed lent a certain artistic feel to the room.

The next room, on the opposite side of the hallway, belonged to Rose. The walls were a warm light caramel colour lined with paintings, with a oak furnishings, and a clutter of books, DVD's, videocassettes, and CD's scattered about the room, though there was a sort of system to the disorder within, and no one doubted that Rose could find any given item in less time than it would take to sneeze. It gave the impression of warmth, though the chaos was an excellent way to keep people from getting too familiar with the place.

Elena's room was next after the bathroom. It was still sparsely decorated, with white walls, dark blue linens and curtains, with basic wooden furniture. Everything was in its proper place, and the only surface of the room that appeared out of order was the computer desk, which was clearly well-used. It was obvious that she still wasn't entirely comfortable in her surroundings, but she was getting there.

There was a small sitting room at the top of the stairs, with a green couch, loveseat and armchair, dark end tables, and a television mounted on the wall in the corner. This was where the girlfriend's tended to congregate, a fact that was made obvious by the smattering of magazines, discarded scripts, and other such detritus.

On the other side, to the left of the stairs, exactly flipped from Elena's bedroom, was Caroline's. Filled with mirrors, posters, and brightly coloured clothing littering everything, one would almost expect a teenager to live inside. Although, to her credit, Caroline generally did clean her room once a day, it just never stayed that way for very long. If one looked deep enough, hidden under the general mess of things, were innumerable photo albums of family, and friends who had become family. She held these memories very close to her heart, and never hesitated in pulling out a book and reminiscing.

Across from hers was Jessica's room. The door was almost always wedged a little open, giving the inhabitant the feeling that escape was always possible, just in case. Everything, absolutely everything, was exactly where it ought to be. Even the numerous and varied pillows on the bed were _just so_. Although, beneath the very tidy surface, lay myriad hiding places with secrets tucked away, too dark to be explored just yet.

The next room was Damon's home office, set up much like his law office. It was a room that Elena had familiarized herself with as she continued her story on the Ricardo case her boyfriend-of-sorts was working on. He had a small bookshelf with reference texts; no inspirational books here. The walls were bare and white, and it was an oddly impersonal room.

The last was around a corner. White walls, white sheets, white curtains. Red velvet armchairs and cushions and lamps, and a large fluffy red area rug in the middle of the room. There were two doors: One being the entrance, and the other leading to his own private bathroom. There was no closet, simply a wooden armoire filled with business suits. A pair of jeans was thrown over one of the armchairs, and a few books were stacked on one of the nightstands. This was Damon's room. On the top of his book shelf, just out of reach, were a number of photo albums. Damon didn't look at them very often.

* * *

><p>It was mid-May when the day came for the verdict in Damon's Ricardo appeal was to be declared. Elena was just getting her bag together before heading over to the courthouse, when the intercom buzzed. There were security guards working in the building, and anyone who didn't live there had to be announced before going up.<p>

She ran over to the phone, and answered it breathlessly.

"_Miss Gilbert. Mr. Lockwood is here._"

"Oh, okay then. Just send him up."

Tyler Lockwood was one of Salvatore & Salesman's junior associates. He stopped by often enough, had even joined the group for dinner once or twice. He wasn't much older than Elena, although he did seem like the typical mid-twenties Manhattan dweller. Work hard; play hard.

She finished collecting her things and waited over by the elevator for the young lawyer to come up. She didn't have to wait long.

"Hey," he said as he stepped into the penthouse, looking dashing in his suit. "I just had to drop these files off for Mr. Salvatore. He said he wanted to look over them."

"Okay, thanks. I'll make sure to put this up in his office."

She took the files and he smiled at her, glancing around as if he was looking for something. Or someone.

"Can I help you with anything else?" Elena asked curiously, looking over her shoulder to figure out what he would be searching for.

"Oh," he blinked a few times, "No. I was just – Well, is anyone else here? Like, um... Caroline?"

"Caroline?" It took a moment for Elena to realize what was going on. _Oh boy..._ "No, she's working right now."

"Right," the man stuttered. She had never seen him look so nervous. "Well, I'll just head out then. Thanks. Bye." And with that, he stumbled back into the elevator, and Elena turned to head back up the stairs toward Damon's office, giggling a little as she went.

On a list of Elena's fears regarding her living situation with Damon and the others, her journalistic integrity wasn't much of a priority. But, sitting in an uncharacteristically warm courtroom, the word _guilty_ echoing through the air, she felt herself confronted with a dilemma. She needed to send in a quick report on the verdict before publishing the full account in the morning. But all that she could focus on was the despaired look on Damon's face.

That was the hook; the lawyer who cared too much. Three weeks ago, she would have had no problem commenting on it publicly. But now...

She sighed, and allowed her fingers to dance across the keyboard of her laptop.

"_It is the indescribably appalled expression on lawyer Damon Salvatore's face that best represents..._"

* * *

><p>That night, Damon arrived home after dinner, evidently intoxicated. He wasn't stumbling about, drunk and out of control; rather, he had a deadened look in his eyes and the strong smell of bourbon about him. He spoke to no one; simply ascended the stairs, entered his darkened office, and shut the door.<p>

Rose and Elena were just exiting the library together when he blurred through the foyer and disappeared upstairs. They looked at each other for a moment before Rose shook her head, continuing toward the public parlour, also on the main level, where the events were usually held. Caroline was upstairs in the private sitting room, poring over recordings of her rehearsals. She'd convinced Jessica to join her, but neither of the other women was willing to subject themselves to _that_ particular form of torture.

"He's beating himself up over that case," Rose supplied when Elena's eyes drifted toward the staircase.

"Yeah," the younger agreed, quickly looking back down at the book in her lap, "I noticed that earlier, in the courtroom. Does he always take it this hard?"

For a moment, it seemed as though Rose was ignoring her companion. Then she snapped her book shut, looked up at Elena, and smiled stiffly.

"Why don't you go talk to him about it? I'm sure it would do him so good to get it off his chest."

Elena laughed softly. "I don't think that's a very good -"

Suddenly, Rose's teacher voice emerged. "Just go."

With no room for discussion, the reporter nodded and dropped her book on the couch, making her way up the stairs and to the office door. She hesitated, listening for any sound inside. When there wasn't any, she knocked lightly before letting herself in.

"Hey," she whispered, her eyes focusing on him in the dark room.

Damon was sitting back in his office chair, facing the wall, his right ankle hooked over his left knee, both hands tucked behind his head. He didn't move or say anything in acknowledgement of her presence, simply continued staring.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"I'm fine," he answered blankly.

_Yeah, sure..._ It only took her three strides and she was standing in front of him, hands on her hips.

"No, you're not. You're drunk. And you're sitting alone in a dark room, brooding, like a fifteen year old emo boy. Would you like some My Chemical Romance with that?"

He snorted, and her own lips twitched.

"First," he began, meeting her eyes, "I am not drunk; I have been drinking. There's a difference. Second, I am a lawyer; I do not get personally attached to the many cases that I work on. So, I'm fine."

She crouched down, and placed a gentle hand on his knee. "Look, you got your wish. You got me in your house, and I've gotten to know you. And I know that you're lying to me right now. Come on; what's on your mind?"

There were a few tense seconds when he blinked blankly at her. Then he scowled, and covered her hand with his own, gripping it warningly.

"Listen to me, Elena: I am not good people, okay? My job requires me to defend whatever scum can afford me, because that's the way our legal system works. And I sleep perfectly fine every night. _I_ do not _care_."

She simply shook her head at his bluffing. "That's not what the rest of the world is telling me. That's not what you're telling me without saying a thing. I saw your face today; you were gutted. You may not get attached to many cases, but you were attached to this one. So tell me what's happening in your head."

He sighed, and his eyes flitted from the bookshelf, to the window, and finally to a spot on the wall just over Elena's shoulder.

"I don't like losing. And I don't lose a lot. When I do, it's usually because the person that I'm defending is guilty as fuck, and doesn't have a shot in hell of convincing a jury otherwise. But sometimes, I get a client who was either in the wrong place at the wrong time, or is completely justified in whatever they did, or..." He rubbed his eyes with his free hand, and then looked straight at Elena. "This was one of those cases. And I've spent years working with this man, and he trusted me, and I couldn't -"

He broke off, looking over at the wall again. He jumped when Elena's free hand covered his.

"It isn't your fault Damon. Look at me." He did. "You and I both know that I'm not your biggest fan, but I watched you work this case; I saw the effort that you put in. No one could have been more dedicated, passionate, or thorough. And you know what?" He frowned. "I think it meant a lot to your client. Even though you feel like you failed him, I think it's the system that failed him. And to him, you're probably his greatest hero."

Damon nodded slowly, his blue eyes softening as Elena smiled at him, rose, and left.

* * *

><p>Both Elena and Damon ended up getting a few well-deserved days off, the first of which coincided with two events: Jeremy, Elena's little brother called to say that he was going to be out of rehab by the end of the week, and Tyler Lockwood was invited over to the penthouse for dinner.<p>

It was one of the rare times that the inhabitants of the home actually used the dining room, as they typically gathered around the circular kitchen table for their meals. At either end of the table were Damon and Alaric (who had shown up rather unexpectedly), with Jessica and Rose on either side of Damon, Tyler between Rose and Elena, who was sitting next to Alaric, and Caroline opposite Elena.

After Alaric had caught everyone up on Andie's adventures in California, and he, Damon and Rose had reminisced about their time together in boarding school, Caroline had begun to talk, incessantly, about the play that she was currently cast in.

"Oh Tyler," she squealed excitedly, "You should come see it when we open! I can get you tickets!"

The younger man grinned at this, but then his eyes slid over to Damon, who was involved in wrapping his pasta around his fork, and the grin slid away.

"Yeah," he mumbled, his eyes on his plate, "That sounds nice. Thanks."

The rest of the meal passed in a similar manner, with Caroline talking pretty much only to Tyler, batting her eyelashes and smiling coyly, while he eyed Damon with a rather panicked expression while trying to stop himself from gazing at the blonde across from him. Elena found the whole thing quite entertaining, and so did, from the expressions on everyone's faces, the rest of the group.

The next day, Elena was curled up, alone in the sitting room upstairs, a stack of newspapers in front of her, idly flipping through the pages, occasionally taking a sip of hot chocolate that Damon had very kindly brought her. She'd found it disconcerting that she'd had to remind herself to roll her eyes at him.

As she was reaching for the mug, the man himself slid into the room and sat down on the couch, pulling her feet into his lap. She looked at her feet, frowned, and then looked at him.

"Yes?" she asked, not unkindly.

"I'm not the only one who saw that happen last night, right?" he asked her.

She snickered. "Clarify?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Oh, come on. That whole flirting thing with Caroline and Tyler. What was up with that?" And he turned to face the opposite wall pensively.

"Well it seemed a little one sided if you asked me," Elena stated matter-of-factly, reaching for another newspaper.

"What? Like Tyler wasn't interested?"

"Oh no," she exclaimed, holding back a laugh, "He's totally interested. I just think he's a little terrified of flirting with his boss' girlfriend, while said boss was sitting right there."

"Pff... That's ridiculous! What would I do? Fire him? It's not like we're exclusive." He turned back to Elena and slowly scanned her body with his eyes. "Obviously," he finished in a low tone, accompanied by a wink and a smirk.

Elena raised her eyebrows at him and pulled her legs back. "And there goes that friendly little moment."

He pulled his own legs up so their knees were touching. She glanced at the connecting denim for a moment, but didn't say anything.

"So what am I supposed to do?" he asked sincerely.

Elena shrugged, once again immersed in her newspaper. "I dunno. Talk to Tyler? What am I, your relationship counsellor?"

"Oh!" He was tapping her knee with a finger, and she kicked him a little. "How about this Friday night; you, me, Caroline and Tyler?"

To her credit, she actually smiled at the ridiculousness of the proposal. "Look, even if I wanted to help you with your very own matchmaking mission, as payback to Caroline, I can't. Family dinner at my sister's place in Brooklyn."

"Ugh, fine then," he snapped jokingly, reaching over her to grab a discarded newspaper from the floor. "See if I even care. Because I don't." He glanced at her over the open newsprint. "At all."

Elena just shook her head, laughing, and they were quiet for a few minutes after that. Every so often, Damon would kick her a little, and she'd kick back, a little harder for good measure.

"You're in a really good mood today," the reporter observed.

"I really am," was the answer, as he dropped the newspaper and met her eyes, his face suddenly serious. "Someone whose opinion I really value screwed my head on straight the other night, and I really appreciated it."

Elena blushed and buried her face back in the inked pages before her. "Oh, whatever."

* * *

><p>The night of her family dinner, Elena was running late. Very late. And she got stuck in Manhattan rush hour traffic.<p>

"Days off ruin my life, I swear to GOD!" she growled at herself as she stopped abruptly for what felt like the hundred-thousandth time.

She hadn't really been paying attention to the time over the past few days, and then Rose got home, and they got to talking about nonsense, and then lateness happened, and Elena Gilbert did not do late.

When she finally did make it to Brooklyn, she was annoyed, exhausted, and beyond ready to see her little brother for the first time in a year. She grabbed her purse and the bottle of wine that she'd brought, and ran from the car, straight to the door of their childhood home, and threw it open.

"Jeremy!" she called.

She didn't have to wait long. A lanky young man in his early twenties came barrelling down the hallway from the kitchen and wrapped her in his arms before she could even speak. They held each other tightly for a while before Elena pulled back to meet her brother's eyes.

"God, Jer, I've missed you so much! How are you? Are you okay? You look great! Where are you gonna live? Are you gonna get a job? Did you -"

"Whoa!" he said, squeezing her shoulders. "You don't ever talk this fast or this much. I'm fine, Elena, just working on getting my life sorted out. It's all good."

As Jeremy was speaking, it occurred to Elena that she must have picked up Caroline's speaking habits. _Crap_, she though to herself.

"But, y'know, it's you I'm really worried about, 'Lena," her brother continued. "With Klaus, and Elijah, and -"

She covered his mouth with her hand. "I've got it. It's fine, okay? So no worries tonight! It's just us, and Jenna, and we're gonna have a great night!"

"Uh, right..." the floppy-haired man began, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "About that..."

It was at that moment that Elena heard a familiar laugh emanate from the kitchen. A very familiar laugh.

* * *

><p>"Damon!"<p>

The man in question stiffened at the sound of Elena's voice, ignoring her sister's amused expression, and turning, slowly, to face his doom, suddenly second-guessing his brilliant idea. He caught Alaric's knowing look and forced a charming smile that he knew his 'girlfriend' would see through immediately.

"Hey Elena! Ric and I were just in the neighbourhood and -"

She had that typical 'Do Not Fuck With Me' pose going on, and she looked distinctly unimpressed.

"Can I talk to you? Privately?" she all but hissed.

Without waiting for an answer, she turned, her hair whipping through the air, and he followed her hesitantly, praying to whichever deity would listen that she wouldn't disembowel him on sight.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

"Hanging out with Jenna. She's really -"

"You crashed my family dinner? Seriously?" This last she said in an incredulous tone.

"Okay, yes, I did, but just give me a chance here." He put his hands up in mock surrender and schooled his features into what he hoped was his best puppy dog expression. "We'll eat, we'll have fun, and I promise, I'll be on my best behaviour. And Ric already promised to play video games with your brother later."

They stared into each others eyes, Elena looking murderous, Damon feeling more than a little anxious, until she spoke again.

"Okay. Dinner, and then you leave, and the second we get home, I am going to destroy you. Got it?"

He smirked at her, his mind instantly in the gutter. "Got it."

* * *

><p>Dinner went surprisingly smoothly, according to Elena. She wasn't particularly shocked that Damon charmed her family, but what she found odd was that she was charmed by him too. Ric had clearly developed a crush on Jenna, and Jeremy seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed having a group of people around, just hanging out.<p>

After the meal, the group found themselves in the living room, sipping on wine, and this was when something unbelievable happened. Elena and Damon were sitting on the couch; the former with her legs tucked up underneath her, and the latter with his legs splayed out before him. And as they shared stories about life in their communal home, Damon subtly placed his arm along the back of the couch, and Elena leaned back into it.

And she didn't pull away.

And she knew her limit, and it sure as hell wasn't the wine's fault.

Around the time that Jeremy reminded the smitten Ric about their agreement to play Grand Theft Auto, Elena yawned, an inexplicable exhaustion crashing over her.

She jumped when Damon leaned toward her. "Are you tired?" he asked quietly.

"No," she answered, turning toward him and stifling another yawn, "I'm fine."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I could drive you back if you aren't feeling up it. Ric can take my car."

Her hesitation apparently convinced him, and he stood up, offering her a hand which she pointedly ignored.

"Ric, you can call Jerry when you're ready to head back into the city. I'm gonna take Elena home."

Jenna's eyes snapped to her little sister, and although she said, "Oh no, sweetie, that's too bad. But we'll have to do this again soon," what she was really saying was, "No offence, but hitting on this super-hot lawyer while you're sitting with your own super-hot lawyer is getting a little awkward. Thanks for leaving!"

Ric also looked satisfied at the prospect of getting to spend more time with eldest Gilbert. And, potentially, with their video game collection.

And so it was that Elena found herself in the passenger seat of her car, watching as Damon drummed out indefinable beats with his fingers on the steering wheel.

"I know what you're doing," she pointed out to him.

"I should hope so; I'm being really obvious." A pause, then, "Is it working?"

Elena blew out a long sigh and looked out her window. "A little," she admitted.

She heard Damon exhale a relieved breath from the drivers seat. "So are we at least friends now?"

"Yeah," she replied, turning to meet his eyes. "We're friends."


	5. Public

**A/N: I... Am so sorry! Work has sucked so much. I'm pretty much down to about 3-4 hours of sleep every night, and thus have zero time to write. And, to be honest, I ended up bumping some of this chapter into the next, simply because I don't have time to add it in now and I wanted to get this up. **

**Random - For those of you who review (love you!), do you guys like the way I answer them? Or should I just leave it? **

**SPOILER ALERT! -**

**Finally just watched the premiere. Not enough Damon, but what else is new, right? And, considering that the producers promised some sort of Delena SOMETHING, the fact that the only romance I'm interested in right now is this budding Jeremy/Matt bromance/'Hey! I hooked up with your sister. Wanna add to my collection?' thing they've got going on here... Well, that's kind of depressing. Although Klaus is just PHENOMONAL!**

**END OF SPOILER ALERT! -**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>There was a palpable difference in the house after Damon's party-crashing at Elena's sister's house. Mealtimes were much more laid back, Elena stayed home more, and Damon started doing very strange things. For example, the girlfriends were startled one morning to find their refrigerator covered in newsprint; cutouts of Elena's articles, to be exact.<p>

As per usual, it was Elena and Rose together for breakfast on the first morning of this occurrence. The elder had responded by quirking an eyebrow and glancing about the kitchen in case any other surface was covered as well.

"Should I be creeped out that he had apparently scrapbooked a bunch of these?" the reporter asked, fingering one of the older articles.

"He didn't even know you existed then. I'm the one who pointed you out because -"

Rose stopped short, and was saved the trouble of finding a safer end to that sentence when Damon walked in, grabbed his marshmallow-filled cereal, and sat down.

"Ugh," Elena grunted at him, and Rose watched in bemusement as the younger woman strode forward, plucked the box out of the man's hands, and replaced it with an apple. "Stop eating this or you'll die before you hit thirty five. I'll make you some toast with peanut butter."

"I – But -" he spluttered.

"No buts. You wanted me as a friend, and I don't let my friends rot out their organs with whatever the hell is in this crap." Elena paused for a second, and then looked over at the flustered lawyer with a wicked grin. "And it'll make you fat."

Seeing that he wasn't going to win this argument, and secretly loving the fact that she cared enough to monitor his diet, he slumped back in his chair, arms crossed, and glared at Rose, who was smiling at him, smugly.

* * *

><p>As was becoming common as Elena arrived at the office, Isobel was already waiting for her. At Elena's desk. In Elena's office chair.<p>

"Okay, really Isobel, enough is enough. I'm not talking about the 'living situation', and if you've got nothing better to do than to hound me about it, I can have you do some fact-checking for me," the younger woman declared in exasperation.

Isobel simply cocked an eyebrow before rising from the chair to sidle out of the cubicle. "Alright, Elena. If that's your final decision..."

And on that ominous note, Isobel left.

* * *

><p>Another difference now that Damon and Elena were friends was that the latter started having people over to the penthouse. The first time she did, it was Bonnie. The two were planning on going shopping, but were spending some time catching up in Elena's bedroom.<p>

Bonnie was updating Elena on the classes that she was taking when there was a knock at the door, and it opened to reveal Jessica.

"Uh... Hey," Elena said in a surprised tone. "What's up?"

The pale woman shrugged, and took a few tentative steps into the room, closing the door a little as her eyes darted to each corner.

"Some days are better than others. The anxiety isn't so bad today, so I'm taking advantage of it." She paused, blushing. "Damon really likes it when I try and push my boundaries..."

She drifted off, moving about the room and examining the shelves, the desk, and every other surface. She picked up a spare cassette from the desk, and glanced over at Elena, who left the bed to put the stray object with its brethren.

"I keep my journal on these... Don't have time to actually write it all – Huh?"

Both Bonnie and Jessica said "What?" at once as the third woman dug around inside of a drawer.

"I'm missing a cassette. I don't know where – Oh yeah, it's the one I left at the office after my first interview with Damon. I'll have to grab it tomorrow."

At this point, Jessica had moved on to another area of the room, and Bonnie sent a confused glance over to Elena, who snapped out of her bemusement.

"Oh, sorry Bon. This," she indicated the other girlfriend, "is Jessica. Jess, this is my best friend, Bonnie."

"Nice to meet you," Jessica answered distractedly, now standing between the bed and the closet. "Do you mind if I -?" she asked, pointing from one fixture to the other.

"Go ahead," Elena granted.

Jessica continued to peruse the room, taking a glance under the bed before moving on the check the closet. Wordlessly, the reporter hopped off her bed to open the window, remembering Damon's actions from weeks before.

"Thank you," Jessica murmured, smiling, before moving back to her original spot, leaning against the door frame.

The two friends continued their conversation, with the odd interjection from the other girlfriend, until the heard pounding footsteps up the stairs. Jessica looked down the hall, and when she glanced back into the room, she was blushing again.

The reason for her sudden flush appeared a moment later in the form of a very sweaty half-naked Damon.

"Jess, what are you doing... Oh, Elena, you have company!" he exclaimed breathlessly, meeting the wide eyes of a very stunned Bonnie. "I'm Damon Salvatore," he introduced himself, shifting his discarded t-shirt into his left hand and taking a few steps towards her with his right extended. "I'm sorry for my appearance; I just got back from the gym."

When it became apparent that the visitor wasn't able to say anything, Elena took over. "This is my best friend, Bonnie. She and I are going shopping later."

The lawyer's eyes brightened suddenly, and Elena repressed a shudder as she watched an idea strike him.

"And that works out particularly well, because I have a proposal for you, buddy."

He said this last as he took the extra step to stand next to where she was seated on the bed, and give her an awkward, sweaty, one-armed hug.

"Oh my _God_, you're disgusting!" she exclaimed, trying to push him away as both Bonnie and Jessica burst into a fit of giggles. "What do you want?" she asked as he finally moved away from her.

"Andie used to come with me to these boring social events, but she's gone, and I have two tickets for one this Thursday... Wanna come?"

"After you marketed it so well...?"

Damon deflated a little, and schooled his features into a puppy-dog look. "Please! I'll buy you a new dress and whatever else you need for it!" he whined.

The two of them had now effectively forgotten the presence of the other two women in the room as they stared at each other. Elena's eyes narrowed at his last comment.

"Are you seriously trying to bribe me with presents?" she asked in her most serious voice.

She knew that she would go with him, but she so enjoyed keeping him on his toes.

"Are you seriously turning down a free shopping spree?" he quipped back.

Elena's face suddenly relaxed, and she glanced over at Bonnie quickly. "Nope; sounds good! Thursday night, you said?"

He winked at her, looking way too pleased with himself. "Alright, I'll go grab the credit card before I take a shower. Unless you wanted to join me..." She looked scandalized and he laughed, giving her shoulder a light push. "I figured as much. I'll be right back."

As he strode from the room, Jessica reached out for his arm and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. He paused and gave her an odd look, before smirking and motioning her in front of him, and with a final smile, she left the bedroom, Damon in tow.

* * *

><p>Elena and Bonnie left not long after that to do some shopping. After a great deal of cajoling on Damon's part, Elena agreed to use his credit card to purchase a new dress, matching shoes, jewelry and a bag. She had been hesitant at first, but he finally convinced her, with a little help from Bonnie.<p>

Speaking of whom, as the pair made their way from shop to shop, she couldn't stop talking about the blue-eyed lawyer.

"Does he usually walk around like that?"

"Like what?" Elena sighed.

"Half-naked and stuff. Seriously, that man's body..."

"Is attached to a very large head that is full of hot air," Elena cut in.

"Hey!" Bonnie exclaimed, a mock-shocked expression on her face, "I thought you two were friends now. I'd hate to hear what you say behind my back."

The other woman giggled. "That isn't anything that I haven't said to his face. On a daily basis. Sometimes multiple times in a day."

"Well he seems perfectly nice. And you can tell by the way he looks at you, that -"

"Hey!" Elena blurted suddenly, veering off toward a window filled with shoes. "Let's go look in here!"

* * *

><p>It was with a fluttering stomach and a restless leg that Damon found himself in a limousine with Elena, who eventually flung out a hand and gripped his thigh tightly.<p>

"_What_ is wrong with you?" she hissed.

"I hate these things," he grumbled, swivelling his head around to meet her gaze. "But at least I have an early meeting tomorrow, so we won't be able to stay late. And you'll let me get away with stuff."

She crossed her arms in response to his mischievous expression. "And just what makes you think that I'll let you get away with anything?"

"Because Rose, Alaric, Andie and I all grew up at these things. You didn't. You don't have the necessary patience to deal with the pompous men and rabid women at these events. Hence, you and I are going to have a little bit of fun. But just a little though; I know how much you hate fun."

He winked and Elena huffed. "I do not hate fun. I hate your idea of fun. And I get the feeling that this will get me into trouble."

"Oh, come on," he nudged her shoulder with his own, "If you get arrested, I can totally get you off." At that, he winked again, and she couldn't help but laugh at him.

They arrived soon after, Elena in a dark-blue dress, skin tight to just above her knees. The front of the dress came up to her throat, while her back was left bare down to her tailbone. When the light hit her, the dress sparkled, along with the diamond earrings and bracelet that Damon insist she buy. She wore sparkling silver open toe heels. She stepped out of the limousine, and took her escort's arm. He wore a matching navy suit, which brought out the ice blue of his eyes.

It surprised Elena just how long it took them to get into the event itself. It seemed as though everyone in attendance knew Damon, or was eager to introduce themselves. Contrary to what he had told her in the limousine, she found everyone to be very nice, if only a little too eager to please. It wasn't until they had finally gotten into the hotel ballroom, dimly lit from the chandelier with a multitude of tea lights and filled with the sounds of a string quartet playing, that she understood just what Damon's warning meant.

"Okay, walk," he pleaded urgently, placing a guiding hand on her lower back. She shivered at the touch, surprising herself. "Walk now, come on."

"Damon, what are you -"

"Damon Salvatore!" announced a booming voice from behind the fleeing couple.

The lawyer froze, stiffening, his hand pressed harder against Elena's skin. She watched as he plastered a rictus grin across his face and turned them both to face the new man.

"Jim Walford!"

The pair shook hands, and it seemed to Elena that this balding, rotund business man wasn't any worse than any of the other -

"So," Jim drawled, eyeing Elena in a way that made her want to squirm. "Another one for your collection, huh boy?"

_Ah ha_, she thought, _There it is. _

She opened her mouth to retort, blood boiling, but Damon spoke first, clapping a firm hand on the other man's shoulder.

"James..." There was no joviality to the blue-eyed man's voice anymore, just an underlying threat. "We've discussed this before; I do not 'collect' women. They accept to live with me, as adults, and that is the extent of my efforts. And, let me tell you, I cannot express how thankful I am for each of them. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Elena on my arm this evening."

As Jim floundered, Elena flushed at the compliment and Damon continued.

"And another thing; think about everything I've personally done for you and your company over the past few years. Do you really want to jeopardize our working relationship for your sexist and misogynistic world views? I didn't think so." He pulled his hand back to lace his fingers through Elena's, and she squeezed his digits gently. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

When they were a decent distance away, Damon leaned into Elena with a whispered, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" she grumbled.

"For Jim's comments. He's harmless; just an ass. And I know that you, in particular, are sensitive about that kind of opinion. I'm sorry if he offended you."

Elena stopped moving for a moment and tugged Damon back to meet her eyes.

"It's not your fault," she shrugged. "And I think you promised me some fun."

Damon snorted in response, and his lips quirked up as he surveyed her. "I did, indeed. Come on," he offered her his arm, "Let's go get martinis."

"Martinis?" she giggled as they made their way toward the bar.

"Yes, martinis. With extra olives."

Curiosity coursing through her, Elena ordered her drink and then stared at Damon, wondering what they were supposed to do with their multitude of olives. Apparently, they were supposed to throw them into other guests drinks.

"Damon! We can't just do that!"

His eyes widened in amusement. "Of course we can. There's a points system: Get 'em while their back is turned, five points. Get 'em while they're actually looking, ten points." He scanned the crowd, and then grinned malevolently. "Fifty points if it's someone you know."

And with that, he sent an olive flying over the heads of unsuspecting socialites and escorts, only to land with a splash in a man's drink. The victim turned around, and Elena stifled a laugh as Alaric narrowed his eyes on Damon and strode forward purposefully, tugging his date behind him.

"Hang on.. That isn't..."

To his credit, Damon looked as shocked as Elena felt. "That's your sister."

And it was. Alaric scowled at his assailant, and pinged the olive off his forehead as Jenna beamed at the younger Gilbert.

"Hello 'Lena. Fancy meeting you here."

"Uh... yeah. What – What are you doing here?"

Jenna only looked more delighted as she glanced over at her date, who blushed and avoided Damon's questioning gaze.

"Well," the strawberry-blonde woman began, "Ric stuck around the other night, and we got to talking, and he mentioned this thing tonight, and one thing led to another..."

As the elder woman drifted off, the two looked over at the men, who were elbowing each other surreptitiously.

"'Stuck around', huh?" Damon teased, much to his friend's embarrassment.

"Okay!" Ric blurted suddenly in a strangled voice, "Time to move on, I think. Damon, I'll see you in the morning?"

Damon simply nodded, as Elena returned Jenna's smile, and the two couples split apart again.

"That was weird," Elena deadpanned.

"I think it's 'totally adorable'," her date joked.

She rolled her eyes and watched as he stifled a yawn. "It's getting late. Do you think it's about time to go, before we run into anyone else we know?" she offered.

He held out his arm, and spoke as she accepted it. "But now you've jinxed us, and we won't get out of here for another two hours!"

Just as she held up her hand to slap his chest, she froze, her eyes landing on a dark-haired, dark-haired eyed, and generally unpleasant figure hovering near the exit.

"I think," the reporter choked out, "That you jinxed my jinx."

It was now her turn to shuffle him away as the hated woman spotted them and drew nearer.

"Move," Elena murmured, her eyes on the rapidly approaching person, "Move, move, move."

Damon, for his part, seemed utterly confused, but entirely complacent, as he was shuffled along. His companion steered them through the crowd, weaving through people in an effort to lose their tail.

"Elena!" the woman simpered when she finally succeeded in cutting the pair off at the exit.

"Isobel!" the younger woman responded in a feigned pleasant tone. "We were just leaving, but it was nice to -"

"And this must be Damon." Isobel held out her hand, and Damon shook it, looking between the two women with an inquisitive expression. "It's lovely to finally meet you. I've been trying to glean some details, but Elena hasn't said a word about you."

Before he could answer, Elena was speaking again. "And I won't say a word, Isobel. I've told you before, my life is not news-worthy, so go and find someone else to harass."

The tension built up as the two glared at each other, Damon looking on, his hand clasped around Elena's. After what seemed like an eternity, Isobel sneered at Elena and flipped her long black hair over her shoulder.

"If you insist on acting that way Elena, than I guess that's how it'll have to be. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

And with that, she sauntered off in search of her next prey. Elena let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, turned to face Damon, who had some unidentifiable emotion shining in his eyes.

"What?" she snapped, although she softened her expression, immediately regretting her tone.

"Nothing." He shook his head, and swung out an arm toward the door. "Shall we?"

And they did.

* * *

><p>The next morning began very much the same as it usually did, for Rose. She woke, laid out her clothes, showered, dressed, groomed, and made her way downstairs for breakfast, running into Elena on the way. She got the full story about the night before, from Damon's nerves to Isobel's thinly veiled threat.<p>

"She sounds demonic," Rose said, her voice muffled by the toast that she was chewing.

"Oh my God, she is! And I try to be nice to her, because I don't want to cause trouble, but she's absolutely horrible. And I have no idea what this whole 'how it'll have to be' thing is, but I bet it's petty and immature – Oh! Morning Damon!"

She smiled, and Rose turned to look at the well-dressed man who had just entered. The jovial atmosphere of the kitchen quickly dissipated as both women took in the expression of disbelief and anger on Damon's face.

"Is there something you would like to tell me about?" he growled at Elena, his hands clutched together behind his back.

She frowned. "Not... really... Why? What's wrong?"

"So this," he tossed a newspaper onto the table, "Isn't anything that I should have been warned about?"

Elena and Rose both leaned in to read the article on the open page. The title read, 'Inside the Penthouse: Elena Gilbert's Life in the Harem.'

Rose was staring hard at the paper, skimming along the article as she heard Elena attempt to speak.

"Damon, I didn't do this," she was finally able to say.

"Oh no?" he answered, his voice higher than usual. "So right here," he slammed a hand down onto the article, "Where it has you quoted... You're telling me that you didn't say these things?"

Elena's eyes dropped to the paper, and she scanned down, her lips tightening as she went.

"I – Well – I didn't necessarily _say_ them, but they were in my -"

That seemed to have been enough for Damon, because when Rose looked up at him, he was shaking.

"So they are your words then? Well that's just great. And here I thought that we were friends now. I'm sorry for the mistake. It won't happen again."

He then turned abruptly on his heel and headed for the doorway, Elena hopping up to follow him.

"Damon! No! I'm sorry; it wasn't me! It was Isobel! She must have -"

"DO NOT APOLOGIZE!" he roared, so that even Rose, who was a fair distance behind them, jumped back. "Don't you get it! This isn't just about embarrassing me! There are three other people living here that have been slagged in this article! How do you think Caroline will feel?" He was steeping towards the tiny brunette, and to her credit, she hadn't budged an inch. "How about Jessica? Did you even think about that before you -?" He cut himself off, deflating, his eyes dimming a little. "You know what? I don't even care what you thought. I'm going to work."

He stomped away then, leaving a teary-eyed Elena and a shocked Rose in his wake.

"This is harsh," the latter stated, rustling the newspaper now clutched in her hand.

She gasped softly when Elena finally turned around. The reporter's tears were streaming down her face, and she had her arms wrapped around her ribcage.

"I didn't do this Rose!" she sobbed. "Please believe that! I had a journal, a tape from when I first moved here, and I was so angry and – and Isobel must have stolen it! That's where these quotes are from! I swear!"

The younger woman was hysterical now, hyperventilating and folding in on herself. With a sigh, Rose did the only thing she could do: She dropped the newspaper onto the floor and held the poor girl, wondering how things could possibly be fixed now.


	6. Brilliant

**A/N: Seeing as how no one who reviewed (17 for the last chapter! A record for me!) mentioned my review-response format, I will take that as a resounding 'Oh yes, SWT, continue to respond to us in the most long-winded possible manner! We love it!' (And I imagine that in falsetto because it's the only fake voice I do)**

**On another note: I, ladies and gentlemen (are there many gentlemen?), have made my self-imposed deadline. Wooo! It's mostly thanks to all of your panicked reviews which ranged from a disturbingly accurate description of what should happen next, to some pretty intense fears that this was the end of Delena for good. Fear not, there will be a happy ending! Just, some fun ups and downs in between!**

**Anyways, enough of this! There's a little tiny A/N at the end of the chapter, but aside from that, on with the show!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>The sun had long since set, and Damon was still sitting in his office, staring out of his window over the Manhattan skyline. He'd had to field way too many phone calls about that damned article, and he was highly tempted to just throw his cell phone in the toilet and be done with it.<p>

"_And don't even get me started on Damon. What? Does he think that just because he pays the bills, and smiles all pretty that I'm just going to jump into bed with him? He has no idea that if it hadn't been for the (...) situation, then I wouldn't even have had to move in._"

Well, that, at least, he knew wasn't true. He had been fully aware of the 'situation' when she'd moved in, right? Her apartment had been broken into, and that was why she had chosen to take him up on his offer. She had told him so herself.

Elena's quotes kept floating through his mind, making him nauseous as he pondered how he felt about her. Or was beginning to feel about her. And refused to now feel about her.

He should have known. Someone who looked _that_ much like Katherine couldn't possibly be trustworthy. He should have just stuck to the original plan; no emotions, no strings, just a lot of fun and a lot of sex. It had been way too long since he had held that mindset. He tried to trace back when it had disappeared, and realized with a sigh that it was the moment he had shaken Elena's hand, and recognized her as someone different from his psychotic ex-wife.

_Hm... That turned out to be an awfully faulty assumption._

He shook his head to dispel the upsetting thought, and pondered, instead, his plans for the evening. He would go home and get Caroline. They would hit the bar, get smashed, and then have crazy sex all night.

He nodded to himself, allowing a smug smirk to grace his lips as he shuffled some papers into his briefcase, adjusted his blue tie, and strode from the office.

Traffic wasn't too heavy, which only added to his good mood. Or, rather, the appearance of a good mood. Rage and frustration and at least a little bit of hurt were all still simmering just beneath the surface. He had texted Caroline to see if she had plans already, but was still awaiting a response as he entered his building and made for the elevator.

A throat clearing cough from his right stopped him in his tracks and he didn't even bother to turn and face his companion.

"Rose. I am not in the mood right now for whatever you're lurking for, so can this maybe wait for -"

"You made her cry."

It was her four words that made him turn slowly to meet her eyes.

The teacher looked deadly serious as she stared hard at the man in front of her.

"Come again?" he scoffed.

"You," she repeated, "made her cry. She's just as much a victim in all of this, and you made her cry, Damon."

He dropped his briefcase with a slam and huffed out a bitter laugh. "She's a victim? SHE WROTE THE DAMN THING!"

"No," Rose corrected calmly, "Her bitch of a coworker Isobel 'wrote the damn thing'. And if you would have taken two seconds to listen to her, you would have known that. Did she not have some sort of argument with that woman last night?"

Damon's stomach dropped as he processed what she was saying.

"Elena said that she took a cassette out of her recorder the first time that she interviewed you, when she first moved here. Do you remember what that was?"

"Her journal," he breathed.

"Yes, and she left it on her desk and Isobel stole it and quoted her from there. Those thoughts and words were meant to be private, and they have now been made public. And she assures me that nothing in the article even closely reflects how she feels now. About us." Rose paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes meaningfully. "About you."

Damon was frozen, cursing himself, for what felt like the millionth time in his life, for having let his temper get the better of him. He wondered, panicked, if he had pushed Elena away too far, just as he was starting to win her over.

He jumped when he felt a cold hand cup his cheek.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, sweetheart," Rose whispered to him. "But you care for her, that much is obvious, and you made her cry. So you can figure out your next step."

He nodded, and she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "That's my boy. I'm going out for a jog. I expect all the gossip from you later."

Then she turned on her heel, and walked away.

* * *

><p>Elena had spent most of her day in her room, alternately on the phone, yelling at people who were technically her bosses, or crying in a ball on her bed.<p>

And that, quite frankly, confused the hell out of her.

Sure, she felt upset and violated, and not a little bit murderous with regards to Isobel-fucking-Fleming. But that didn't explain the sharp pain she felt in her chest in the moment that she saw Damon give up on her.

So what did that say about her feelings?

It was long past dinner time when she'd heard him come up the stairs and head straight towards his room. She wondered if she should go and see him, maybe try to apologize again. She didn't want to get him angry, especially not so close to Jessica's room, but she also couldn't just let this lie.

Maybe he wouldn't even answer the door. Maybe she would just wake up the next morning to an eviction notice of some kind slipped into her room, giving her 48 hours to get the hell out of his life.

Her heart jerked at that too, and the pain of it surprised her. Again.

And so she lay in her bed, and then began to pace, pushing her hair back and worrying her bottom lip, trying to figure out how to fix this, when a soft knock sounded at her door. In a second she was across the room and had the door open, and her stomach fell to somewhere near her kneecaps when she saw Damon standing on the other side of the door frame, wet hair dripping onto the black t-shirt he was wearing.

"We need to talk," he said cryptically.

Elena could only nod as she swung open the door for him, and sat down on her bed, her hands clasped together in her lap, eyes on the floor.

"I talked to Rose," he offered. "Or, I guess, Rose talked to me. She told me about what actually happened with this whole 'article' thing."

She chanced a glance upward to find that he was fidgeting, looking around the room as though trying to find something to save him. Like he was the one who needed saving here.

"I'm sorry," she rasped, looking back down. "I shouldn't have left that tape out, and I shouldn't have gotten Isobel all riled up. I never thought she was capable of -"

"No," he interrupted, "I'm sorry. I have a really _really_ bad temper, and I don't think, and I hurt you, which I have never _ever_ wanted to do." To Elena's surprise, he dropped down to his knees so he could meet her eyes. "Rose said that you were upset, and I'm sorry for making you feel that way."

He reached forward, slowly, as though he wasn't even controlling his hand, and tucked her hair behind her ear, and then allowed his thumb to glide down her cheek. Elena closed her eyes, letting these newfound feelings wash over her, and when his thumb grazed over her her bottom lip, she couldn't hold back anymore.

Her hands cupped his face as she drew him in to kiss him lightly, on the lips. He froze, and she held back a giggle at the thought that she had effectively stunned him. She pulled back and their eyes met.

"Elena, you just..."

"It hurt," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears again, and she spoke as if divulging a dirty secret. "It hurt to see you so hurt. And to know that I had a part in it. It surprised me how much it hurt. And I just..."

She drifted off to pull him in for another kiss, only this time, he was ready. His lips worked against hers as his hands found her waist and held her. Her arms wound around his neck to pull him up, and then they were falling back onto the bed, tangled together, Damon's weight pressing Elena into the mattress.

Lights were flashing and angels were singing and tiny explosions were happening behind Elena's eyes, and she realized she had never _ever_ been kissed like this. Kissed like she was the sweetest fruit, or the coldest water. It was brilliant.

Damon's tongue slid against her lips, and she parted them, allowing him entrance. One of his hands was sliding up and down her side, only to come to rest on her ribs, just under her breast. They pulled away simultaneously, eyes meeting and breath coming fast and shallow. And then something flashed in Damon's gaze, and they were together again, moaning and moving against one another, his lips tearing away from hers to kiss down her jaw to her throat.

"Damon," she panted when his hand dragged down to hitch her leg around his hip.

She ground against him, and felt him growl against her collarbone. She shivered and felt him smirk into her skin.

"You have no idea how many times I've dreamt of you saying my name like that."

She gripped his hair and pulled him back up to kiss him properly. She couldn't believe how right it all felt, how they moved with a practised synchronicity that belied how new they were to each other.

And then, something happened.

Damon's hand slid up from her hip to slide along a patch of skin where her shirt had ridden up. And as his hand moved a little further beneath the fabric, a ghost pain shot through Elena's abdomen, and she saw black eyes staring at her behind her eyelids.

"No!" she exclaimed, sitting up so suddenly that Damon rolled off of her.

"I'm sorry!" he let out in a strangled voice before looking around, bewildered. "I'm not too sure what I'm sorry for, but -"

"No," Elena groaned, pulling her knees up to her chest protectively, "That was all me. I'm sorry, I just -" She paused, and when she looked at him, she saw so much vulnerability shining back at her that her breath caught. "Can we take this slow?"

Much to her surprise, his face was transformed by the glowing smile that took over. He sat up, and propped himself up on his elbow, his face just below her shoulder.

"Of course, but, just to clarify then... We are taking this somewhere? This," he motioned between them, "is happening?"

All of the tension seemed to fade from Elena's body at the simplicity of his words and she let herself fall back onto the mattress, reaching out to stroke his face.

"Yeah," she responded coyly, smiling back at him, "I guess it is happening. Against my better judgement, mind you. I guess you've finally worn me down," she teased.

"Oh," he grinned wickedly, "Against your better judgement, hm?"

"Yep!"

He leaned over her again, but seemed hesitant to touch her at all, unsure of what he had done to elicit her last reaction, so she pushed his chest and rolled over on top of him. He didn't particularly seem to object as she placed kisses from his earlobe down the column of his throat.

His hands found her thighs and he held her there, occasionally rubbing up and down as she made her way back to his lips, and soon enough, the atmosphere in the room intensified, and Elena wondered how she hadn't noticed this between them before.

And then, something _else_ happened.

There was a soft knock at the door and the person on the other side only waited a moment before shoving their way into the room.

"Hey, Elena, have you seen – Whoa!"

The couple on the bed froze for a moment before Elena, in an impressive show of athleticism, managed to leap from Damon's torso to stand on the other side of the bed in one swift move, leaving the man splayed out on the bed, confused and oh-so-dishevelled.

"Um," Caroline smirked, holding back a giggle, "I guess that answers my question. I'll just... y'know... be _not_ here."

She edged away, although her eyes were shining as she stared at the pair of them excitedly. The sound of a cell phone keyboard being rapidly tapped could be heard as the door swung shut.

"So..." Elena began.

"So..." Damon repeated, finally pushing himself up to stand opposite her across the bed. "I should maybe head out. I had made plans with Caroline, unless you -"

She cocked an eyebrow at that. It seemed to her, for a moment, that he was asking her permission to go with Caroline. How odd.

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea," she sighed, eyeing his groin briefly.

He reddened almost imperceptibly as he back away. "Alright then, well... Good talk, Elena, that was... productive. And I'll see you tomorrow."

She couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. "'Night Damon."

When he'd left the room, she collapsed onto her bed, feeling quite a bit relieved. Clearly, kissing him had opened the door to quite a lot of feelings on her part, and she wasn't sure how to balance this uncontrollably rampant lust for him with her irrational and inconvenient fears with regards to... Well...

She sighed and scratched idly at her stomach as she settled in to ponder that particular dilemma for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>Damon walked stiffly, still a little stunned, down the hall toward his room when he was intercepted by Caroline.<p>

"Good night?" she teased, leaning against the wall next to his bedroom door. She didn't wait for him to answer before continuing. "So are we going out, or what?"

"Uh..." He was trying, and failing, to process his thoughts in a timely manner. "I think I'm just going to bed now."

"Right," she nodded at him, eyes flicking down to his groin where his jeans felt almost unbearably tight. "Maybe taking a cold shower first?"

"Shut up, Caroline," he warned, but he couldn't hold back the satisfied grin.

"Whatever. Did you want some help with that," she nodded at his stiffness again, "Or should I just leave you to it?"

Now, a month before; a week before; hell, a day before; he would have wrapped his arms around her, and she would have wrapped her legs around him, and they would have been wrapped around each other all night long. But now...

But now Elena Gilbert had effectively slid into his system, and he couldn't bear the thought of having anyone in his bed but her. And he knew that it would be unfair to Caroline if he pretended that her hair and eyes and skin were all darker. (Although he didn't know that she would have been imagining someone else too.)

So it was to his own surprise that he found himself declining her offer, although the persistent throbbing in his pants sure punished him for it.

And as he continued to make his way to his room, he could have sworn he heard Caroline mumble, "God, they're gonna brilliant together!"

* * *

><p>The next morning dawned to a cloudy sky, causing a multitude of New Yorkers to curse the heavens for ruining their Saturday. But for Elena, it seemed that the whole world brightened the moment she held the newest issue of the New York Times in her shaking hands. She scanned the front page once, twice, and then, satisfied, she rushed up the stairs, left down the hall, and exploded into Damon's room before she even remembered to knock.<p>

The only thing that halted her forward momentum was the sight of him, spread-eagled and drooling, arms wrapped around a pillow, clearly sound asleep on his bed. And much as she'd agonized over their rather steamy kisses from the night before, the sharp lurching in her stomach (and lower down), made her realize that she couldn't possibly have acted any differently anyways.

She tiptoed forwards and crawled onto his bed, sorely tempted to reach out and stroke his naked back. Finally, she was able to tear her eyes away from the lickable curvature of his spine to remember why she was there. Excitement rushed back through her, and she didn't hesitate to reach out and grab his shoulder, shaking him lightly.

"Damon?" He grunted a little, so she shook him again, a little harder this time. "Damon?" He muttered something, a name that she couldn't make out, and she shook him a third time, raising her voice as she called, "Damon!"

"What?" he whined, finally peeling open one eye.

When he spotted her, he pushed himself over immediately, rolling onto his back and clutching his blanket to his waist tightly.

"Uh... Morning?" he croaked.

She smiled back at him, and bit her lip a little, shyly. "Morning. I brought you something."

She held out the newspaper, and he took it, frowning, as he glanced over the front page. There was a small retraction of the dreaded article from the day before, but that wasn't what she had wanted him to see. And she could tell from the look on his face when he stumbled upon the piece that she had written the day before, in response to Isobel's mudslinging.

"You can read it out loud if you want," she prodded.

He nodded, and began:

"_The _real_ life in the penthouse, by Elena Gilbert. I intend on keeping this brief. I have made it clear to my friends, family and coworkers that I do not find it acceptable to use my private life for publicity, and I hold to that original statement. I do not want to draw more attention to this event than I have to, but I feel that, after Ms. Fleming's outrageous and incendiary comments, it is necessary for me to clear up certain issues._

"_To begin with, I have been living in this home for over two months now, and the quotes that Ms. Fleming misused were from the beginning of my stay here. I will not retract those statements, as they are true of my feelings at the time, but rather, I will attempt to enlighten those who care with what I have learned._

"_This situation is entirely different from my original judgement. We are all adults, and act as adults. There is no infighting, no manipulations, and absolutely no one is taken advantage of. There is a feeling of family in this home such as I have not felt since I was a young teenager. I have grown extremely close to everyone living here, and treat them as I would treat friends that I have known my entire life. We work, and live our lives, and spend a great deal of time sharing these very different lives with one another. _

"_My feelings towards the now infamous Damon Salvatore have changed drastically as well. I am ashamed to say that I misjudged him hideously upon our first meeting, and I can only hope that he can someday forgive me for that short-sightedness. The way that I treated him in my early days here, based on that prejudice, when he was doing his utmost to make me feel safe and welcome, is appalling, and I cannot imagine why he has chosen to allow me to continue to spend time with him, and the women that I have come to consider my closest friends. His concern and protectiveness for everyone that he chooses to allow into his life, his friends, colleagues, and 'girlfriends', make me wonder why he didn't remove me from his circle within a week of meeting me._

"_I am beyond apologetic for any part that I had in what was published regarding myself, Damon, and the three other women living here. It caused pain to people that I cannot stand to see hurt, and created misunderstandings and complications where there was no need. I can only hope that the people who were affected can forgive me, as I would hate to lose their friendship. _

"_Thank you to all those who have taken the time to read this, and I hope that it will inspire you to think a little less poorly of people who are ultimately and undeniably generous, affectionate, and inherently good. To conclude, I would ask everyone to please, allow me and my housemates to live our lives in peace and privacy, as we have asked for nothing less, and nothing more."_

Elena watched Damon during his entire reading of her words, and waited with bated breath as he lowered the newspaper and stared at it in contemplation.

"Wow," he finally breathed.

"Wow? Really? I poured my heart out, Damon, you can at least give me a, 'Good job!'"

He smiled at her briefly before finally wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her in and hold her.

"Thank you," he whispered. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

She blinked against his shoulder as she realized that that was true. She really had no idea how much it meant to him. But she had a pretty good idea as he tipped her chin up with one finger and kissed her slowly, softly, so she could feel the warmth of his affections down to her toes. She allowed one hand to slide up along his chest and behind his neck, holding him in place so she could kiss him more soundly.

Once again, they found the tension in the room rising, but when Elena began to sink back into the pillows, pulling Damon with her, he pulled back. She couldn't resist pouting at the rejection.

"Elena," he groaned, placing his head on her shoulder. "I know that you want to take this slow, but either you leave right now, or that slow thing is out the window." He looked up and found her blinking at him, unsure of whether he was joking or not. "Teasing a naked man who wants to get in your pants like there's no tomorrow is probably not the smartest way to start the day," he clarified.

Her eyes widened and flicked down to where the blanket was still wrapped around his hips, and her mouth formed an 'O'.

"I'm sorry," she tried to say seriously, although she giggled a little at the end. He offered her a tight smile in response, and she slid out from under him. "I'll just go down for breakfast then, and I'll see you later."

She backed away toward the door, blushing furiously as he kept completely still. And it wasn't until she shut the door behind her and leaned against it that she realized that he wasn't the only one in physical pain about it.

* * *

><p>"Damon, you really don't need to do this," Elena whispered as the lawyer followed her into the lobby of her work, and toward the elevator.<p>

"Oh, yes I do," was his bitter answer.

"Seriously," she turned to face him at the elevator. "I'm having Isobel and my editor John both fired over this. I've got it."

With a ding, the door opened, and the couple found themselves alone in the tiny box.

"John?" he asked.

"He's fucking her. And he approved her story... Because he's fucking her."

Damon nodded. "This might be the lawyer in me talking, but don't you need proof for that?"

She turned to wink at him. "I'm best friends with old Rocky in security. I bring him coffee, and he gossips with me. Video feed... Not so hard to get ahold of."

Her companion simply stared at her in adoration. "You are amazing."

"I know," she answered cheekily as the doors opened and she stepped out, momentarily forgetting that he was following her. "But seriously Damon, you don't have to do this."

"Yeah yeah," he scoffed, "Just show me where her desk is."

With a sigh and an eyeroll, Elena complied, leading Damon to the cubicle where Isobel sat, looking terrified already as she scrolled through her email.

"Ahem," Damon vocalised, and his prey spun in her chair, eyes widening and skipping from him to Elena and back. "Lovely to meet you again. Now, let's have a nice little talk."

He took a few steps forward and leaned over, propping himself up with his hands on her armrests, effectively trapping her.

"I'm pretty sure you already know the score, the fact that you way overstepped your bounds, and you're going to be punished accordingly. Elena can take care of herself in that department. But, you see, I have three other people that I feel very strongly for, and I will not allow any harm to come to them." He paused for effect. "You upset them. You embarrassed them. Now, Elena's got you this time. She called dibs." He glanced over his shoulder to wink at the olive-skinned woman behind him before turning back and narrowing his eyes menacingly.

"But next time, sweetheart, you're all mine. See, I'm fairly certain that you're extremely stupid, or else you wouldn't have antagonized one of the most successful lawyers in the history of this city. So the next time you talk about me, or Elena, or anyone that I care about, without our permission; the next time you go near her," he pointed behind himself, "You will be hit with a lawsuit so fucking fast your head will spin and it will take generations of your spawn to pay it all back. Do we understand each other?"

Isobel looked like she wanted to say something, but she ended up clamping her mouth shut, and nodding painfully. And as Damon turned away, her eyes met Elena's and reflected such hate that the latter's breath hitched for a moment.

But then she felt a reassuring hand on her hip, and her eyes met the blue ones staring at her, and she didn't even care anymore.

_When did that happen?_

Without another glance back, they walked away.

"So, where's your cubicle?" Damon asked innocently, as though he hadn't just threatened the woman five feet away from them.

She led him over and he took great care in examining the pictures on her desk of Jenna, Jeremy and Bonnie, and a couple that he assumed were her parents. The rest of the area was covered in folders and newspapers and pictures and all kinds of information. When he straightened up from his examination, she was still leaning against the flimsy wall watching him.

"Well, I have to head to work," he began, moving closer to her. "Am I allowed to kiss you in public now?" he whispered.

She smiled in response, and pulled his face down towards hers. Their lips met, and they both fought to keep it light, although it felt like fighting the ocean's tides.

And when Damon pulled away and mumbled, "Brilliant," Elena couldn't help but blush.

"What?" she asked.

He leaned in to kiss her briefly one more time.

"This whole kissing you in public," he explained, "It's brilliant!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: For the record, I powered out this chapter, like, stupid-fast. The part that took me the longest, seriously, was figuring out whether Damon and Caroline would have sex or not. Which is fun to explain to teenage basketball players when I'm distracted during practice. Unrelated note: Got hit with a basketball in the head today. Wonder how that happened... *sigh* **

**PLEASE REVIEW :D**


	7. Are We Going Somewhere Or Just Dancing?

**A/N: You ever go into a room, and then forget why you went there. I'm having that exact thought with this author's note. It seems to me I had something particularly interesting to say. Or, at least, interesting to me... Maybe I can't think of it because my new neighbours are playing their terrible music REALLY EFFING LOUD! And in reliation, my roommate is playing his movie REALLY EFFING LOUD! **

**Oh eff it, I'll just write it down and add it to the next chapter.**

**Funny story: BabySister (age 13) has had to deal with hours of listening to me verbally tell her the story behind Make Me Wanna Die (without, y'know, the sexy bits). So she was listening to a song the other day, and she has decided to write a songfic based on my songfic. Which is strange, right?**

**And I won't give my feedback on the latest episode, because I did that on my Twitter, which is right below. **

**This chapter is pretty much pure fluff. Pretty much. Not entirely. So enjoy!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. Song is 'Dancing In The Dark' by Dev.**

* * *

><p>Over the next few weeks, tension between Damon and Elena seemed to be alternately explosive and exploding. There were times when they were so in tuned with each other, so wrapped up in each other, that it seemed like there was nothing else in the world beyond the two of them. But at other times, mostly when they were around other people and required to focus on other things, they seemed to become stiffer and fevered, waiting for the next word, the next touch from the other.<p>

It almost terrified Elena. Almost.

If it were anyone else, any other situation, she probably would have high-tailed it. But as it stood, she remembered Damon's warnings when they'd first met, his acknowledgement of his lack of interest in any sort of serious, committed, monogamous relationship. And for the moment, that suited Elena just fine.

There were moments, of course, when she was locked in Damon's arms, and they paused for breath, and she glimpsed something in his eyes that made her wonder just what they were getting themselves into. But her view of any sort of future with him was always blocked by something; a darkened silhouette of a well-dressed man with dark eyes, or the curved figures of three other women.

She knew that even if he felt something for her, she shouldn't pursue Damon in any serious way. Lustful fumblings reminiscent of warm teenage nights in the backs of cars were safe enough, but to purposefully chain him to her life would be unconscionable; to expose him to the threat that she hid beneath the layers of her mind and conservative clothing would be irresponsible.

And so she walked the line between not-quite-satisfied and just-satisfied-enough, and she enjoyed it.

* * *

><p>"Of course!" Elena almost shrieked at Damon as they stormed into the lobby of their building together. The doorman and security guard both eyed them in trepidation, not wanting to get in between yet another argument between the couple. The staff of the building had learned to steer clear of the pair when they got into that type of mood. And they got into it a lot.<p>

"Oh, don't do that. It isn't going to win you the argument, because you know, deep down that I'm right about this!" he argued back.

The security guard cringed behind his desk, busying himself with the closed-circuit television system in front of him. There were only two ways that this would end, and he didn't want to witness either.

"I wasn't pretending to agree with you! I'm just not surprised that you would take the side of such an antiquated and outdated stereotype."

Her tone had changed to one of mocking, and Damon spluttered for a few moments.

"Outdated?" He stabbed the elevator button violently. "Our entire understanding in that domain is based on that 'stereotype'! It's the way the world works! It's natural justice!"

"Natural justice?" Elena scoffed. "Neither of them did anything more or less with what they were given! Neither of them deserves anything more than the other, and to relegate this to a 'winning a prize' scenario is just appalling!"

The elevator doors opened to reveal Rose carrying a duffel bag. She was leaving for the weekend for a bachelorette party, and looked suitably displeased to find her housemates shouting at each other. In the lobby. Again.

"Dear Lord! What are the two of you arguing about now?" she exclaimed, stepping between the two and pushing them apart.

There was silence as the two disgruntled parties glared at each other. Then,

"Who should Hermione Granger have ended up with at the end of Harry Potter?" they both asked at once.

"... Are you joking?" was the immediate response.

"Rowling had it right;" Elena began. "She completely belonged with Ron; you could tell from the very first book! Harry and Hermione were always like brother and sister -"

"No! They were just always so comfortable with each other because they knew from the moment they met that they were meant to be together!" Damon interrupted. "And Harry's the fucking hero of the story! He deserves to get the girl!"

"He got a girl! He ended up with Ginny! And, I'll repeat, women are not prizes. And Ron had a tough life too, and he did tons of heroic stuff!"

Rose threw her hands in the hair and continued on her way, listening as the bickering couple stomped into the elevator.

"Sure, he helped. But he didn't die! And he wasn't an orph-"

The elevator doors closed, and every person in the lobby heaved a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>Not only was it typical for Damon and Elena to arrive home from work together and arguing, but it also became typical for them to somehow end up wrapped around each other, tongues in each others mouths, by the time the elevator reached the top floor.<p>

Such was the case on this particular Friday.

They all but fell out of the elevator, Elena shuffling backwards, pulling Damon along by the collar of his dress shirt as he dropped his briefcase and suit jacket on the floor of the foyer. He pushed her, lips on hers and hands gripping her as tightly as he dared, until they made it to a couch in the public parlour, and he fell on top of her.

"I'm still right," he mumbled, kissing and nipping down her throat to her collarbone, one of his arms tucked between her back and the cushions, the other running down along her left leg, hitching it around his waist.

"No," she moaned as his lips made their way along the cleavage exposed by the buttons that he'd popped open on her blouse. "I mean, look at you: All bad-ass, soulless, lawyer guy with four girlfriends? Where's the heroism in that?"

He moved back up to kiss her lips soundly, and she wove her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer as she ground her hips against him.

"Oh yeah," he hissed, feeling the blood rush to his groin in what he knew would end up being an uncomfortable way, but he didn't care because he would settle for a lifetime of cold showers if it meant keeping Elena in his arms, no matter how far she chose to go. "Four girlfriends is great." His voice rose to a mocking falsetto and he spoke between kissing her. "'Damon, come lift this;' 'Damon, come move this;' 'The sink is plugged;' 'My window's stuck;' 'I want a puppy.'"

"Oh, poor Damon," she teased, shifting a little to trail her tongue up his jaw and suck his earlobe into her mouth. "How about you?" Her voice dropped. "'Caroline, come have sex with me;' 'Rose, come take care of me because I'm useless on my own;' 'Elena, I'm bored, come entertain me;' 'Jessica...'" She paused for a moment to kiss him on the lips. "'Jessica, you're perfect because you don't make me do chores.'"

"Aw," he breathed into her ear, causing her to shiver, "Are you jealous?"

Her sudden laugh became a moan as his free hand moved up to knead her breast.

"You wish," she tried to say in a strong voice, but it came out a whimper.

"Mmm..."

They continued to kiss and fondle each other as much as they were able, given the narrowness of the couch, and Elena's continued desire to 'take things slow'. Damon was still a little nervous about touching her, but he was fairly certain that he'd gotten the hang of it. She was fine (better than fine, in fact) as long as there was no definite removing of her clothes. She seemed pretty okay with a little loosening here and there, and he found, to his surprise, that, rather than being frustrated, he found her all the more enticing.

At that thought, he smirked against her lips and popped open another button on her blouse, then moved down to suckle the skin of her breasts.

He never quite made it though as a loud shriek from behind him startled them both. He ended up in a heap on the floor before glaring up at Caroline, who was snickering at the pair of them.

"God, guys, get a room."

"Caroline, I own the damn house," he snapped, watching with disappointment as Elena buttoned up her blouse.

"Well then you should know where the bedrooms are," she pointed out lightly, checking her reflection in a compact that she pulled out of her purse. "I'm tired of walking in on you two everywhere. If you wanna get it on, just do it already, but not where everyone can see you. Gawd!"

"It isn't everywhere!" Elena protested.

"There was that first time in your room," she answered, ticking off one of her fingers, "And at the bottom of the stairs, for, like, ever. Then up against the wall in the hallway, and in the kitchen, and -"

"Okay!" Elena held her hand up, pulling herself into a sitting position. "I get it, thanks."

By now, Damon had managed to get to his feet and was trying to figure out how to change the subject. Luckily, with Caroline, it was generally pretty easy.

"You look nice this evening," he attempted. "Are you going somewhere?"

An ecstatic smile suddenly appeared on her face, and she spun around, her bright green strapless cocktail dress floating around her. Her hair fell in waves down her shoulders, pinned back by a black flower, while black strappy heels finished off the ensemble.

"Do you like it?" She suddenly focused on Elena. "It's a great dress, isn't it? I love it! It's perfect!"

"It's beautiful," Elena nodded.

"Yes, but what is it for?" Damon asked slowly.

"I happen to have a date this evening."

He looked down at Elena, who shrugged at him, although the corners of her mouth were lifted into a secretive smile.

"A date?" he repeated.

"Yes, a date. With Tyler Lockwood as a matter of fact, but don't you dare say anything!" she ordered him. "He's scared enough of you as it is. And you can't even say anything about it, because I'm technically your girlfriend too, and you're spending all of your time macking on Elena." Rapidly, her blue eyes flicked to meet the other woman's brown ones. "Not that I'm jealous or bitter or anything, but I'm just saying... I've gotta get some somewhere, y'know? A woman has needs, y'know?"

Elena's eyebrows rose, and she turned her head to frown a little at Damon.

"Hey! Do whatever you want," he told Caroline. "It's not like we're even sleeping together anymore anyways. And we were never exclusive to begin with."

"That's exactly what I told Tyler, but he wouldn't listen and now he's all -" Her cell phone beeped, and she gave a little hop. "Oh! He's here! Bye guys! Have fun!" And as she entered the elevator, she suddenly spun and shouted. "And use a condom!"

As soon as the doors closed, Damon leaned back over Elena.

"Now, where were we?" he asked smoothly, leaning in to capture her lips.

She pushed him away lightly, and he fell back dramatically to sit on the couch while she sat up on her knees next to him.

"You're not sleeping with Caroline anymore?" She asked awkwardly, watching him with wide eyes.

He reached over, pulling her into his lap and starting to kiss down her neck.

"Nope."

"Just like that?"

He stopped and looked up at her. "Is that a problem?"

She offered him a stiff smile and ran her fingers through his hair. "No; just trying to figure you out."

He nodded, ignoring the calculating look behind her eyes, and continued his way along her skin.

"So do you have plans tonight?" he asked her.

She was holding his head in place, encouraging him. "Well, I know that I have to get out of your lap eventually."

He held her tighter to him. "Not necessarily. But I think we should go out to dinner."

Now, she pulled his head back and narrowed her eyes at him. "Not a chance, Damon. I know what you're plotting here, and I won't be a part of it. Caroline would kill you, and then she'd kill me for letting you crash her and Tyler's date."

He shrugged and attempted a charming grin. "Hey! Who said anything about crashing anything? I just want to take you out to dinner. Is that so bad?"

"Well you can't go anywhere unless I move, so I guess you're stuck."

She registered her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth, but she still screamed when Damon stood up suddenly, carrying her with him.

"No!" she screamed, laughing. "No! Put me down, Damon! Stop!"

* * *

><p>Elena protested the whole way to the restaurant, which Damon was able to trick Tyler's assistant into telling him about, and didn't give up even as they entered the building.<p>

"I swear, Damon, if she blames me for this, I will never touch you again." He looked at her sceptically before turning around to scan the room. "I mean it; not a hug, not a kiss, not anything. It isn't too late, we can just leave and -"

"Aha!" he exclaimed, pointing to a private booth where they could spot Caroline. "There they are! Let's go!"

He grabbed Elena's hand and pulled her along, nodding at the maitre d' and the servers as they passed. When they arrived at the table, Caroline froze mid-laugh and stared in horror and Damon, before scowling at Elena.

"I'm sorry," the dark-haired woman mouthed.

"Tyler Lockwood!" Damon boomed, clapping a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Fancy meeting you here."

He guided Elena to sit next to Caroline, so the blonde was forced to slide around the table and practically into Tyler's lap.

"Um... Hi, Mr. Salvatore... We were... We were just..."

"It's okay Tyler," Caroline drawled, "He already knows, he's just being an ass."

"Well, Caroline," Damon teased, "You are the one who pointed out that Elena and I have been staying in a lot recently, so I figured -"

"SO TYLER," Elena blurted, anxious to avert the oncoming explosion between her two housemates, "Damon says that you come here often. Any recommendations?"

After that diffusion, dinner went pretty smoothly. And to Elena's great surprise, Damon appeared to be trying to encourage Tyler to pursue his feelings for Caroline. The blonde had spent a significant amount of time watching him suspiciously, but eventually gave up and chose to simply enjoy her night out.

As their dishes were cleared, she reached over and tapped Elena's hand. "Tyler and I are going out to a club; you two should join us!"

"That sounds perfect," Damon replied, lacing his fingers with Elena's and smiling at her softly.

She could read the question in his eyes, and nodded almost imperceptibly to indicate that she was on board with the plan. She wondered idly when it was that they began to communicate non-verbally, but pushed the thought away almost immediately, afraid of the feelings that went with it.

Damon covered the bill, telling Tyler that he could cover the drinks and they would call it even, and then the four of them left for their next destination. The club wasn't very far; in fact, they were able to walk the short distance, looking for all the world as though they were a pair of regular couple on a regular double-date. And for that night, Elena decided to go along with, as she pulled Damon's arm around her waist and nuzzled closer.

* * *

><p>"So, you and Damon are looking all cute and snuggly," Caroline mentioned, nudging Elena while the guys were gone to get drinks.<p>

"Yeah, you made that pretty clear earlier."

"Oh, I was just being me. You know how I get, I just blurt things out and deal with it later. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. But anyways, how's it going?"

"It's going fine," Elena shrugged.

"Just fine? Damon is not just fine, sweetie. And the two of you together... You're perfect."

"It is what it is, I guess."

Caroline's perfectly shaped eyebrows quirked into a frown. "What does that mean? What's wrong?"

Elena sighed. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just trying not to get too attached. He told me when I first moved in that it was no strings, no feelings. I know that this won't be long-term, so I'm just trying to figure out if I'm okay with that."

"Oh Elena!" Caroline cried, wrapping her arms around the other woman. "Don't be so anxious about it! He cares about you more than he ever cared about me or Andie. And he looks at you way differently from the way he's ever looked at Rose or Jessica. Listen to me: It's different with you, okay?"

Elena smiled reassuringly and nodded, hoping to placate the blonde. The guys arrived with their drinks a few seconds later, just as a new song started.

"_On my waist, through my hair; I think about it when you touch me there..._"

"Ooooooh! Tyler, I love this song! Come and dance with me!"

Within a moment, Caroline had dragged her date out onto the dance floor.

"Elena?" Damon asked, holding his hand out.

She pretended to blow him off, but eventually smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards her through the crowd of people.

She turned so that her back was against his chest, and held his hands on her hips.

"_Tell me baby if it's wrong to let my hands do what they want..."_

With one hand still covering one of his, she let her other one wrap around his neck as she swayed to the music.

"You're terrible," he breathed into her ear.

"And why is that?" she asked, smirking as she moved her hips back a little, enjoying the way he hissed at the contact.

"Because it's all I can do to keep my hands right where they are. If they move..." He let the fingertips of his free hand dance across her abdomen, and she stiffened for a moment before relaxing into his arms again.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Not at all," he answered, kissing behind her ear.

Across from where they were dancing, Elena spotted Caroline and Tyler, not so much dancing as they were practically fornicating in the crowd.

"Looks like Caroline's having a good night out," she mentioned, pointing across the dance floor.

When she turned her head, blue eyes were burning into hers. Then he leaned into her ear.

"I'm not even looking at Caroline tonight."

Her whole body tingled as his breath rolled across her sensitive skin, and she bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling at what he had just told her.

"_I wanna see who you are. I've got a sex drive, push to start. Sex drive, push to start."_

As the song wore on, Elena turned to wrap her arms around Damon properly and drag him down for a searing kiss. His hands came around to grip her lower back, pushing them impossibly closer, until she pulled away to breathe for a moment.

And it was in that moment that she spotted someone over Damon's shoulder; someone who made her freeze in terror.

Elijah.


	8. The Immovable Object

**A/N: Good Lord, I am such a tease. Okay, here's the deal: This is half a chapter (and half a chapter title to go with it). I have the other half, but I just couldn't reconcile them so I _had_ to split them up. And much as I would have liked to make this one longer, as cheffy329 pointed out, I am not an author who drags out the tough stuff. (Exception: In The End. Jesus, did that go on forever or what?)**

**So the next part will be up tomorrow because I forgot that I didn't schedule a basketball practice, and don't want to throw another one in there last minute. My players deserve a rest I suppose, and it would be quite lovely to leave work and come home instead of spending 2-4 straight hours in a gym. **

**Last thing; I'm all self-conscious about how short this is, but in all honesty, it was way longer than my chapters were when I first started writing, so I should probably just calm down.**

**Reviews please to let me know that you don't all hate me? :)**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>Elena had taken to mentally referring to her blossoming relationship with Damon as an unstoppable force. No matter how she tried to pace things, they always just seemed to zero in on each other. If they were in public, they were inseparable, and other people would just fade away once they began to converse. If they were alone, well... Things got really heated, really fast.<p>

It had left Elena wondering whether or not there existed an immovable object to stand in their path.

And then, she saw Elijah.

"Hey, Damon?" He pulled away from her and gave her a look that she felt down to her toes. She shook her head, pushing the lust away. "I'm just gonna run to the bathroom. Could you go grab me a bottle of water?"

He nodded, frowning just a little at her sudden change in demeanour, and she moved around him. When she glanced at him over her shoulder, he was already gone to the bar, and so she bypassed the washroom, grabbed Elijah so her nails dug into the skin of his forearm, and hauled him outside.

They stopped in an alley down the block, where she pushed him away from her like he was something dirty.

"Someone's grown bold," he murmured, a sly smirk crossing his lips.

"Someone's grown annoyed," she retorted. "Now, what are you doing here?"

He smirked and slunk a little closer to her, reaching out to graze her hip with one finger before she stepped away.

"What if I said that I missed you?"

One of her eyebrows shot up of its own accord, and she huffed out a bitter laugh.

"Not buying the bullshit, Eli. What are you doing here?"

He sighed and looked quite put out. "I'm here to meet with another client, if you must know, Elena. I had not planned on seeing you here at all."

This time, she laughed outright. "And you expect to believe that we bumped into each other by coincidence?" She took a few steps toward him in what she hoped was a threatening manner. "What game are you running?" she growled.

Suddenly, Elijah's hands shot out, and Elena found herself pinned the brick wall that he was leaning against only moments before.

"Damon Salvatore's affections are working wonders for your self-confidence, you little bitch, but let us keep something clear;" he planted his knee against the wall between her legs and released one of her arms to palm her hair. "You are not the powerful one in this relationship; I am. You do not threaten me, and you do not attempt to manhandle me without expecting retaliation. Am I making myself clear?"

Elena's heart was practically beating out of her chest, and she felt like she might vomit. The only thing keeping her from shoving the man off of her was his strategically placed leg, which ensured that she wasn't going anywhere.

When she didn't respond, he shook her, and she felt her head bounce lightly off the wall behind her, leaving, what she expected to be, a bump on her skull.

"Clear?" he asked again.

"Yes," she hissed between clenched teeth.

At that, his entire demeanour changed, and he adopted his pleasant persona once again, backing up a step to release her.

"Wonderful. Now, let us catch up, since we have so fortuitously met up like this. I hear that your brother is out of rehab? And how is that going for him?"

Elijah's tone was light, but Elena saw right through it. This was a veiled threat, a way of telling her that if she didn't behave, he would go after Jeremy.

"Ah... There is that beautiful brain at work," he stated, watching her expression change. "Yes, Elena. See, for quite some time, you had gotten good at keeping people _out_ of your life, and thus out of danger. But now, you have liabilities again. And if you aren't able to control your actions, we might just have to have a chat with young Jeremy."

"Leave. Him. Alone." Elena growled.

"I read your heartwarming piece in the paper a few weeks ago. And I'm sure that, given the way you and Mr Salvatore were behaving in the club, he would be happy to help contribute to your payments. Perhaps I should have a little chat with him?"

_No!_ Elena thought helplessly. This was exactly what she had been afraid of; exactly why she hadn't wanted news of her and Damon's relationship to get much publicity. She wouldn't be able to stomach it if he were dragged into this mess.

"Elijah," she breathed pleadingly. "Elijah, this is between you and me. Let's keep it between you and me, okay?"

"Actually," he answered matter-of-factly, "This is between my brother and yours. But seeing as how we are both such caring siblings, we have been forced to get involved." He shook his head a little and then stared back at her. "In any case, your boyfriend is probably wondering where you have gotten to, and I need to find my client. So if you'll excuse me?"

He stepped around her without sparing her another glance, and dusted off his clothing as he strode down the street. After several deep breaths, Elena followed.

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Damon waved at Elena a few minutes later, holding up a bottle of water at the bar.<p>

As she moved closer, however, he grew concerned. She looked paler than she had a few minutes before, and appeared to be trying not to throw up.

"Hey," she whispered back, walking right under his outstretched arm. "Can we go? I'm not feeling so good."

"Yeah," he answered, kissing her forehead. It was clammy. "Sure, let's go get a cab."

When they got outside, he made to rub her arms to try and warm her up, but she pulled back suddenly.

"Sorry," she smiled softly, "Can I borrow your jacket? I'm cold."

He nodded and slung the blazer across her shoulders. A moment later, a cab pulled up, and they got in, Elena sinking into his arms and closing her eyes as they rode back home.

* * *

><p>The ride back was one of the strangest of Elena's life. On one hand, it felt like it was dragging on, since all she wanted to do was return to the safety of her bed. On the other hand, she wanted to take this chance to enjoy Damon's arm around her, since she knew what she would have to do once they got home.<p>

He practically carried her inside and up the elevator and stairs to her room. At the doorway, she turned to give him back his jacket.

"Do you need anything?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "I just want to go to sleep."

"Okay." He paused, and Elena waited for him to speak again. "Did you want me to stay with you, in case you need anything later?"

In that very moment, she could see the two roads in front of her. She could accept Damon's offer, and take comfort in his arms, maybe even divulge her whole sordid past with Elijah and Klaus. But that way lay danger, and the chance that Damon himself could get hurt, and so she chose the other option. She simply shook her head, smiled sadly, turned and shut the door, hoping that he couldn't hear her silent crying throughout the night.


	9. And The Unstoppable Force

**A/N: Argh! Okay, so I meant to have this posted a few hours ago. I really truly did. But... Okay, have you guys ever seen the Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant movie 'Two Weeks Notice'? That's kind of my life, except without the falling in love with each other part. It was my boss' birthday today, and I ended up going out to dinner with him and his daughter. And then we went to a movie. And now I am here. So...**

**Here is the second half of what was originally supposed to be 'The Unstoppable Force And The Immovable Object'. I hope you all enjoy it :) And itsCaroline, I accidentally lied. The copping a feel is next chapter. My apologies.**

**And if you haven't heard, apparently the TVD ratings are really low so far, so everybody get out there and do your part to boost them (the ratings)!**

**Last thing, neylujulyen, you review, like, every chapter, but your account won't let me PM you back. Just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your feedback. :)**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>It had been a week, a full week since the impromptu double-date, and Damon was about to lose his mind. He could literally feel the weakening hold on his sanity slip every time he saw her, talked to her, hell, even smelled her, and she wasn't touching him.<p>

After weeks of not being able to keep their hands off of each other, this whole 'quitting cold turkey' thing was driving him nuts. And he didn't even know why he was quitting!

It had all started the morning after the night out. Damon had figured that Elena had had too much to drink. But when noon rolled around, and he still hadn't heard a sound from her, he went up to investigate. She wasn't in her room, but there was a note on her bed, informing him that she would be staying at her sister's for the weekend to spend some time with her brother.

That was it.

No, 'I'll miss you', or 'XOXO', or anything.

He had blinked a few times, wondering if he had gone back in time a few months.

On Monday, he had offered her a ride to work, which she accepted, although she sat across from him and busied herself with paperwork the entire time. She didn't stop by for lunch, and said hardly anything on the ride home.

On Tuesday, she was gone before he had even eaten breakfast.

On Wednesday, he had tried to surprise her with lunch. She had brushed him off with an 'I'm busy right now Damon,' and left it at that.

He hadn't even seen her on Thursday.

And so, by Friday, he was just about ready to tie her down until she told him what the hell was going on! Although that would have probably caused more problems than anything.

"You, Salvatore, are in love," Rose teased distractedly, focused on lesson plans while he stared at the ceiling from his position on her bed.

"Am not," he grumbled. "I don't do that anymore."

"Bullshit. You've been pining for a week now. Just go and talk to her before she has another chance to escape. Here," she turned an tossed a few envelopes onto his stomach, "I picked up the mail, and some of hers is mixed in there. So just go and deal with this. I'm tired of having you all love_sick_. You are both much more pleasant when you're love_drunk_."

He sat up with a loud sigh, clutching the envelopes, and stood, taking a few long strides to get to the door.

"Even if I were in love, which I am _not_," he said softly, still facing the door, "It's not like she would even love me back."

He left the room before she had a chance to retort and slid down the hall to Elena's bedroom, powered by Rose's certainty and his own madness.

Just as he reached up to knock on her door, he heard her voice, and unconsciously leaned in closer. He had missed her voice.

_Hey! Sappy! That sounds an awful lot like love to me._

"... Just worried about you."

She paused, but he didn't hear anyone else, so he figured that she must have been on the phone.

"... Not yet, anyways. I just don't like you moving back into the city where anything could happen. You just got out of that life, I don't want anyone pulling you back in again by threatening -"

She waited again.

"I'm not going to argue with you about this, Jer. If you really think that you can afford a safe apartment in a secure building in the city on a waiter's paycheque, then by all means, go for it!"

It was quiet again for a moment.

"Fine, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you, and tell Jenna that I love her too. 'Night."

As Damon processed what he had just unwittingly overheard, his eyes drifted from the door in front of him, to the end of the hall where Andie's vacant bedroom was.

An idea was forming.

* * *

><p>Elena was sitting cross-legged on her bed, glaring at her cell phone, fully expecting it to burst into flames at any moment, when there was a soft rap at her door, followed by the impatient entrance of one Damon Salvatore.<p>

And then, Elena was sure that if the phone didn't catch fire, she sure as hell would. As if trying to stay away from him hadn't been hard enough, here he was, leaning against her bedroom door, flannel pants slung low on his hips, his bare chest rising and falling as he breathed.

She swallowed hard, wondering how she would be able to keep from touching him now, since it had taken every ounce of her self-control to not so much as graze her finger along his arm over the past week.

"What -" she started, coughing to try and dislodge whatever had taken residence in her throat as she continued to unabashedly stare at his naked torso. "What are you doing -? I'm busy."

She forced her eyes down to the all of nothing on her bed, flushing immediately because she knew he would see through the lie with ridiculous ease.

"I just heard you on your cell phone, so I think you can take a whole minute to be polite to me since I'm bringing you your mail."

Her head snapped back up, and she noticed, for the first time, the envelopes clutched in his right hand. Slowly, cautiously, when he made no more move to approach her, she rose and stepped toward him on shaking legs. She could feel his gaze burning into her, but tried to ignore it as she reached out to grab the mail.

And then, before she even knew what had happened, he had his left arm around her waist and was pulling her in. Her left hand came up to push on his chest, which she knew was a mistake, since she had now made the first skin-to-skin contact. The envelopes fell to the floor as Damon's right hand wrapped around her left.

"What did I do?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

She pressed her eyes closed, trying to pull away from him. "Damon, I can't do this right now. Please, just let me -"

"Just tell me what happened," he begged. "I need to know what happened."

She was still attempting to escape, her hand sliding up to his shoulder, but he held her fast. Soon enough, instinct took over, and she redoubled her efforts, flailing hard until she finally collapsed against him, both arms wrapped around his neck, her face pressed into his chest.

"Nothing," she breathed when his hands began to stroke up and down her back. "You didn't do anything. I'm just... It isn't -"

"Is it Jeremy?" She pulled back to stare at him, a luxury that she hadn't allowed herself in a week. He shrugged, the corner of his mouth pulled up in his characteristic smirk. "I was waiting for you to get off the phone before I came in. Is this all just because you're worried about him?"

Elena's mind froze. Once again, the two paths were spread before her, with a third added this time. Either she could continue to reject Damon or she could tell him the truth about everything Elijah had done to her. Or she could go with this. It was true enough; she really was worried about Jeremy. She didn't have to confess that she was worried about Damon too.

"Yeah," she admitted, finally able to pull away from him to sit down on the edge of her bed. He sat down next to her, and she continued. "Before he went to rehab, he wasn't just into drugs; he was into the whole scene. He was involved with some pretty shady characters, and I'm just scared that, now that he's out and about, that he'll get dragged back into it. Staying clean in rehab was the easy part, he told me. But trying to stay away from that stuff when your entire life was built around it... That's harder, and I'm scared that he'll fall off the wagon."

As she finished, Elena noted that everything she had just confessed was entirely true. She hadn't even realized how scared she was for Jeremy outside of the 'Elijah and Klaus' problem, and she wondered how it came about that Damon was always able to pull this stuff out of her.

Speaking of... The man had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and pressed a kiss to her hair, pulling her closer.

"He could just live here," he pointed out.

"What?" Elena exclaimed, panicked again.

This wasn't what she wanted. Having the two people that Elijah had threatened under the same roof was like begging for trouble.

"No," she pronounced. "I can't let you do that, okay?" She looked at him for only the second time. "If he does choose to get back into drugs, all of that bad stuff will just follow him back to your doorstep. Literally. And I don't want that for you. Or," she added as an afterthought, "For the others."

Much to her consternation, Damon laughed. "So you're telling who I'm allowed to invite into my own home?"

That stopped her short. "Well, no," she spluttered, "But he's my brother, and I just don't see why -"

She was cut off when Damon suddenly cupped her face and pulled her close for a searing kiss. For a full minute, she completely forgot what they were talking about. Although when she remembered...

"Hey!" she yelled, pushing him off by his shoulders and slapping his arm. "You can't just kiss me to shut me up!"

But he was chuckling, and she couldn't help the smile that spread over her face for a quick second until she came back to the topic at hand.

"So, you're actually serious about this, aren't you?" she murmured, staring at their now-intertwined hands.

He slid two fingers under her chin and tipped it up. "As a heart attack. If it makes you feel better, safer, more relaxed, then I will gladly oblige. And," he drawled, "He can help out with the bitch work that you ladies always leave for me."

She simply cocked an eyebrow at that. "And what's the other reason?" she asked, teasingly.

He sighed dramatically. "And," he began, kissing down her throat, "If it means that I get to keep kissing you..."

"You're insufferable," she managed to get out as he covered her mouth with his own.

Contrary to what she had just said to him, Elena's hands pressed into Damon's hair, holding him closer, as his own hands held her waist in a tight grip.

It seemed that no matter how hard she tried to keep him away, she couldn't. It came back to her original deduction: That they were an unstoppable force, even when confronted with immovable objects. Damon had found a way, without even realizing it, to circumvent all of Elena's justifications. No matter what, she realized, he was going to be in harm's way now. Although her limited revelations of the dangers that Jeremy's life brought would keep him more vigilant, and everyone would be safe.

Everyone would be safe.

The thought echoed in her mind, and just like that, everything crashed down on her. She broke the kiss with a gasp but clutched Damon tighter to her still, trying to will away the tears that filled her eyes.

"Okay," Damon said tentatively into her shoulder, "What did I do this time?"

"No," she answered thickly, releasing him slightly and wiping at her eyes. "I'm just... I was so scared... For Jeremy... And you just, you fixed it. I'm all overwhelmed."

She was trying to laugh it off, but Damon saw through it. He pulled her close again, arranging them so they could lay back on the pillows as she cried and he held her and whispered nonsense into her ear.

When she calmed down a few minutes later, he was still there, holding her, and much as she knew she should send him away, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Damon," she whispered, looking up at him. "Can you stay here tonight? Please?"

He didn't even answer; simply reached around them to pull down the covers. They slid underneath, and were immediately entangled, Elena's arm across his torso, and his arm around her body, fingers tunnelling into her hair.

"Thank you," she breathed dozily, satisfied when his lips pressed against her forehead.

And as she drifted off to sleep, she could have sworn she heard him say, "No... Thank _you_."


	10. Sharing

**A/N: Ok. Stop. Right now. I know that you have your internet open (unless you're on your smartphone, in which case, do this later). Open a new tab/window. Go to youtube. Find the song 'Better Man' by James Morrison. Now, when you review (because you are all AWESOME!), tell me what you think about it. :)**

**I'm sorry for the delay; I got distracted by... wait for it... a Stelena fic. I know, I know, what the hell is that? Actually, the document was titled 'StelenaWTF' until I finally gave it the title The Cautionary Tale of Unconditional Love. Check it out if you have a minute.**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>Elena woke slowly the next morning, a foreign warmth enveloping her body. As she stretched out, she noted the weight of an arm slung over her waist, the fluttering of deep, slow breaths against the back of her neck. Her eyes opened, and she hazily began to remember the emotional roller coaster that was the previous evening. She had been so very worried about Jeremy, and then Damon had shown up, and that always threw her for a spin. And he fixed it, insomuch as he was able to, and now...<p>

Now he was pressing feather-light kisses to her shoulder, and the hand that had previously been splayed across her belly was now inching upward, along her tank top, to cup her breast. She held her breath, waiting for his next move, and a moment later, his thumb glided across her nipple, causing her to gasp almost inaudibly.

"I guess that being felt up is infinitely better than an alarm clock," she croaked as his thumb continued to ghost over the now-hardened nub. "But I'm not sure how I feel about the creepy factor."

"Do you want me to stop?" he rumbled against her spine, his words an echo of what she had said to him at the club a week before.

"Not at all," she breathed back, leaning against him and turning her head to meet his eyes. "Thank you. For last night."

He winked at her. "The ladies usually only say that when I put out."

She suddenly felt awkward. Why was it that she could share a bed with him, but couldn't give in to her own, rather insistent, desires? She knew why, but she was starting to truly resent herself for creating this frustrating situation. And she began to feel guilty for dragging Damon into it as well.

"I know that you probably want to -" He interrupted her with a finger on her mouth.

"I want you," he insisted, eyes blazing. "Whatever you choose to give, I'll take. And, if I'm not very much mistaken, you want me too..." She blushed, and nodded a little. "So the way I see it, we're building up to what will be mind-blowing, earth-shattering sex."

The increasingly tense atmosphere which always accompanied any discussion about their romantic situation shattered as Elena laughed out loud, although she did nod in agreement. Damon smiled mischievously and leaned into to kiss her, but she put her hand up to block him.

"I haven't brushed my teeth yet!" she protested.

"No problem," he mumbled, trying to dodge her hand. "My equally bad morning breath will cancel yours out."

She gave a little shriek of mock-disgust as he continued trying to kiss her until she finally rolled him off of her and escaped the bed entirely, tugging down her shorts self-consciously as she made her way to the door.

He sighed dramatically. "Fine, leave me here. I know when you're just using me as a bed warmer."

"Come on," she drawled back. "I just spent the past eight hours under your arm, sometimes your leg, and for that wonderful five minute period, your entire body."

He painted an innocent expression on his face. "I have no recollection of that."

"Well I remember waking up unable to breathe, and you smirking as I tried to shove you off, so – Oh yeah, mail!"

She stooped to pick up the long forgotten envelopes from the floor, flipping through them as Damon climbed out of the bed and snooped over her shoulder.

"Boring, boring, boring," she muttered until she reached an envelope addressed to her in handwriting. "Oh crap!"

"What?" he yawned, stretching out so when she turned to face him, she was met with a flawless expanse of skin stretched over rippling muscles.

"Um," she exhaled, trying to remember what she was talking about. "Oh, uh, yeah, I'd bought my tickets for my high school reunion dance a few months ago. I was going to go with Bonnie, but we both forgot and she said she's going out of town to visit her grandmother in Massachusetts."

"And..."

"And I have no one else to -" She met his eyes, and his eyebrows rose suggestively. "Oh. Well, I guess... If you wanted to come, but it won't be much fun." He opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off. "And no, we cannot throw olives at people, or slip shots of tequila into their drinks, which ended really badly last time, if you remember. And we can't -"

"When is it?" he asked, with a tone as though he was placating a small child, although she knew that he was buzzing with excitement at being invited to one of _her_ events.

"A couple of weeks."

"Alright then, I guess if you absolutely _need_ me to be there..." She rolled her eyes, and he grinned. "But I get to pick out your dress this time."

"No," she blurted a little too fast. "I know you, and I know that you'll pick out something either way too expensive, or the size of a tea cozy just to entertain yourself."

"I will not," he mumbled, grabbing her mail and tossing it on the bed beside them before ushering her back to the door. "We'll go together, but I want a say. And I'm fairly certain that I've fantasized about you enough to know what you would look good in."

She cocked an eyebrow. "You're disgusting."

"And yet..." He drifted off, reaching for the doorknob.

Elena slammed her hand against the door, and looked up at him, all traces of levity and amusement gone for the moment.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"The reunion? Yeah, it'll be great!"

"No," she answered slowly, gravely. "About Jeremy moving in. He could get into trouble, and you're already responsible for so many people."

He reached up to cup her cheek and smiled sadly at her. "I had a brother. Or, rather, I have a brother, but he isn't..." He shook his head. "Anyways, he got into some tough stuff, and I completely missed it. I didn't even see it happen before it was too late, and by then he had done so much that I couldn't bring myself to help him. So it isn't entirely selfless; there's a bit of personal motivation and vicariousness going on here too."

"What happened to him? Your brother?" Elena breathed after a moment.

"I, uh..." He pulled away then, turning back toward the door. "I don't really want to talk about it right now, if that's okay with you."

She reached over and grabbed his hand. "I get that. But if you ever want to, I'll listen."

He nodded one last time, still facing the door, before finally opening it.

Up to that point, with all of the almost-honesty, and the cute wake up, and the general lightheartedness of it all, Elena had forgotten something vitally important. In between Damon offering to help Jeremy, and them sleeping intertwined all night, and her new awareness of the existence of his brother, she had forgotten that, beyond her bedroom door, Damon didn't belong to her.

When the couple emerged into the hallway, Rose was walking by to meet Caroline at the top of the stairs. The two women eyed Elena and Damon amusedly, and shared a poorly hidden high-five before descending the staircase.

And just like that, a weight set in upon Elena's shoulders that she hadn't noticed before. She scanned Damon's face as he gripped her hand and they walked together down for breakfast, but there was no sign at all that he felt anything similar to what she was feeling in that moment.

And for the first time, it hurt.

* * *

><p>"Here, try this one on!" Caroline squealed, causing Elena to wince inside the change room, and dodge the dress that was tossed over the door.<p>

She heard Damon groan. "The agreement was that I get to pick out what she's wearing. You've been doing all the choosing, Care."

"Well I have better taste than you, so too bad," was the snippy response.

Elena sighed and opened the door, standing awkwardly in front of her two housemates.

"Caroline," she began, smoothing out the skirt of the dress, "This is the exact same thing that you wore that night that we went out with Tyler."

She kept her eyes on the blonde, trying to ignore the way Damon's gaze raked her body.

"Yeah," the other woman answered casually. "And you said that you loved it."

"Not long enough," Damon pointed out, now scowling. "Elena's legs are longer than yours, Caroline. And I don't want some guy ogling her in a short skirt."

"You know," Elena said exasperatedly, leaning against the door way and crossing her arms, "I'm standing right here. You can just tell me what you don't like about it, since I'm the one who will be wearing it."

A smirk tugged at Damon's lips, and he stood, slowly advancing on her like a hunter with his prey. It wasn't until he was a breath away that she noticed he had a dress in his hand.

"Try this one: Better neckline, longer skirt," he said in a low voice before winking at her.

She felt a flush warm her body from head to toe, and, not for the first time that day, regretted allowing Caroline to accompany the pair of them on their shopping trip. She and Damon were going to a movie premiere later on in the week, and she had yet to choose a dress.

And Elena didn't even want to think about the unpleasant feeling in her belly whenever she thought about Caroline and Damon going out.

With that in mind, her eyes slid over to where the other woman was examining dresses on a rack, and with a sudden mischievousness, grabbed Damon by his suit jacket and tugged him into the room with her.

"Mmm... Hot," he murmured against her lips before capturing them in a kiss.

"Like this isn't exactly what you had in mind when you suggested shopping," she breathed in response, gasping when his hands slid up under her skirt and cupped her ass.

He didn't answer, simply kissed her harder when her hands grabbed his hair. His fingertips were dancing along the edge of her panties, and she could just imagine him tugging them down, her stepping out of them as his pants hit the floor and they...

"How about this one?" Caroline yelled, interrupting Elena's thought process and causing Damon to yank his hands back, even though the door was closed and no one could see them.

The brunette let out a long breath and raked her shaking hands through her hair. She eyed the black and silver dress with so much frustration, she was surprised it didn't explode. Damon grabbed it and handed it to her, a finger held to his lips telling her to keep quiet.

"And where did Damon go? Did he get bored already?"

Elena couldn't help but let out a giggle as her boyfriend rolled his eyes.

"We've already been in this shop for almost an hour; I wouldn't be surprised if he went for a walk or something."

With a conspiratorial grin, Damon nodded and moved to embrace her once more, kissing along her neck. She sighed contentedly.

"What was that? Is something wrong?" Caroline asked.

"No," Elena grunted suddenly, trying to grab Damon's wrists as he made to grope under her skirt again, "Just tired."

"Oh... Well, pick a dress already then!" And with a final little bang on the door, they heard Caroline's shoes click as she made her way to the front to pay for her purchases.

"Mmm..." Damon moaned, moving back up to her lips, "And now that she's gone..."

"No!" Elena exclaimed, trying to keep quiet as he, yet again, made to sneak his hands under her skirt. "No... No... No... We actually do have to get back to work, and she's waiting right -" She slapped his chest. "Out." Slap. "Side." Slap.

With his hands still on her thighs, he pouted against her lips. "You suck."

She breathed out a light laugh and brought her hands up to his chest. "You have no idea." And with a final wink, she pushed him back.

Damon's jaw had dropped open at her suggestive quip, although he now looked distinctly uncomfortable, and was trying desperately to adjust his pants.

"This one," he rasped, tossing his red dress at her. "I like this one. Now hurry up before I say, 'Screw it', and take you right here in this dressing room."

She rolled her eyes at him, and he left her alone.

* * *

><p>Once Elena had paid for the red dress, or, rather, instructed the sales associate to put it on Mr. Salvatore's account, she and Caroline glanced around the store, perplexed as to where the man himself had gotten off to. They slowly made their way outside, still glancing around, trying to find a mop of barely-coiffed black hair above the crowd.<p>

"Ladies!" They both spun in the direction of the voice, only to see Damon striding towards them with two ice cream cones.

"Damon!" Caroline whined as he drew nearer. "I'm on a diet!"

"I know," he responded proudly, handing her a cone. "It's fat-free, somehow." He frowned, pondering that particular paradox as he handed Elena hers.

"What's this for?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I get the feeling that you're both annoyed with me."

"Well," Caroline began, licking a drop from the side of the cone, "I'm annoyed with you because you wouldn't agree with any of my dresses. And I'm pretty sure Elena's annoyed because you molested her in the change room."

Damon's eyebrows skyrocketed and he glanced over at the reporter, who was choking on her ice cream.

"What?" Caroline asked, eyes bouncing between her two companions. "Damon suddenly disappeared and Elena's voice went up an octave. I'm not stupid."

The latter flushed a deep red colour, only speaking again when the lawyer leaned over her shoulder and took a mouthful of ice cream.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "You should have gotten your own!"

"But it tastes so much better when it's yours..." He drifted off with a lascivious wink.

Caroline sighed. "You two are so cute it actually hurts, did you know that?"

"I am not cute," Damon huffed, "I'm hot. There's a difference. And before either of you rip that statement to shreds, I'm taking this taxi back to work. Jerry's around the corner with the car."

And with a final suggestive lick from Elena's ice cream, he was gone.

The two women walked on in silence for a whole fifteen seconds before Caroline spoke.

"Are you two having sex yet?"

"Oh my God, Caroline!" Elena exclaimed, but was saved from having to answer by her phone ringing. "Hello?" she answered, sighing.

"_Hey, Elena, it's Ric. Damon's dodging my calls; can I talk to him?_"

"He isn't dodging your calls," she giggled, "He said that he forgot his cell at the office, but I'm pretty sure he did it on purpose. He's on his way back to you in any case, so wait about ten more minutes."

Alaric thanked her and she hung up, only to notice Caroline watching her, a frustrated expression on her face.

"You know," the blonde began, "You two share a bed, you share a freaking phone, and you share ice cream, but you can't share bodily fluids? What's the big deal, just jump him already!"

"It is a big deal, Care!" Elena almost yelled, slapping a hand over her mouth, and looking over her shoulder to see if anyone had noticed. Then she caught Caroline's concerned gaze. "Look, my last relationship went really badly. Like, unimaginably badly, and I'm just not ready to be like that, all in, with someone again." She felt unwanted tears burn behind her eyes, and the other woman stepped forward to pull her into a tight hug. "I'm trying, I really am. And I just care about him too much, and I don't want him to get bored with me, but I just can't yet."

"It's okay," Caroline cooed. "I'm sorry; I get it. It's complicated. It's just..." She pulled back, blue eyes meeting brown. "If you were ever going to put your trust in anyone, it's him. He'd do anything to protect the people that he cares about, and right now, he cares about you more than anyone." She lowered her voice, a gleam in her eye. "Even more than Jessica, and that's saying something."

* * *

><p>A few days later, the same two women were once again standing next to each other, only this time, it was in the hallway of the penthouse, in front of what was now Jeremy's room, eyeing the parade of sweaty men saunter by as they deposited boxes just inside the threshold and shuffled back out.<p>

"I don't see why you two can't help," Damon complained, earning a supportive nod from Tyler behind him.

Caroline held up her hands, showing of her nails. "Elena and I just got manicures. And besides, we're interior decorating!"

"It's already decorated," Tyler grumbled, dropping the box unceremoniously and turning back to the hall where Caroline wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, hard.

Elena watched with amusement as the man froze for a moment, eyed Damon, shrugged almost imperceptibly, and placed his hands lightly on his ("Are you guys official now? Boyfriend, girlfriend?") whatever's waist.

"Do I get a reward too?" Damon breathed in her ear, causing her to jump.

"Hm... I don't know," she turned to face him, "You are awfully sweaty..."

He rolled his eyes and made to move past her, but she shot an arm out, grabbing him by his t-shirt collar and pulled him in for a searing kiss of her own. His tongue slid along her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth, accepting him eagerly, forgetting where she was, and who was there...

"Gross."

The two couples leapt apart to meet Jeremy and Alaric's irritated eyes.

"Is this what I'm gonna have to live with now?" the younger man asked no one in particular, his trademark half-smirk tugging at his lips. "Everyone just making out all over the place?"

"At least Damon and Elena have learned the concept of a bedroom," Caroline tossed off, releasing Tyler and stepping toward her own room. "Anyways, we need to get ready for that premiere thing, or we'll be late."

Damon let out an aggrieved sigh, placed another light kiss on Elena's lips, and then followed the blonde.

"Well I'm outta here," Tyler stated, waving at the remaining three and making his way to the stairs.

"That was the end of it, right Jer?" Alaric asked. When the other man nodded, he continued. "Then I'm calling it a day too. See you guys at the reunion this weekend, right? Jenna's bringing me."

Much like Damon had done, he tried to look unenthusiastic, but the siblings could tell that he was vibrating with joy at the thought of spending more time with the eldest Gilbert.

"So what's wrong with you?" Jeremy asked his sister.

"Nothing," she answered a little too quickly, shaking her head.

"Yeah, right," he said sarcastically. "You visibly deflated as soon as Damon left."

He moved into his room, and Elena followed, flopping down on her back on the bed.

"I'm just causing myself problems. When he and I are together, it's great. But then the rest of the world floods back in, and I remember that he isn't mine."

She was surprised when Jeremy answered her with a bark of laughter.

"You clearly have never heard him talk about you. The past hour or so, trooping up and down... Jesus, Elena, you have him whipped six ways from Sunday."

"I really don't think that's entirely true," she sighed, sitting up and looking at her hands.

"Fine then, think what you want. But why isn't Tyler as upset as you? He's obviously nuts about Caroline, right?" She nodded. "So don't worry so much about it. It's nothing."

"Yeah, well," she rose and drifted toward the door, "Everyone keeps saying that, but it isn't making me feel any better."

Hours later, Elena found herself in bed, curled up, trying desperately to sleep away her frustration. And not just emotional frustration either; her thoughts kept drifting to a very impure place, with a very naked Damon, and a very aroused _her_. And that process just made her more and more upset. She understood the whole arrangement, but she couldn't help herself from caring about him more and more, while he didn't seem to take any notice. He still lived his life the way he always had, just sliding Elena in where Andie had once fit.

In her depressed state of mind, she didn't think of how he'd invited Jeremy to move in, for her peace of mind. Or how he stopped by her office for lunch whenever he could. Or how he had completely forgone sleeping with anyone else. Or...

There was a soft click as her door opened, and the sound of someone trying to tiptoe into darkened room.

"Elena," Damon whispered, "Are you awake?"

She didn't answer, choosing instead to feign sleep, forcing her breaths to come out evenly. She heard Damon sigh, and the bed dipped behind her. She listened as he pulled off his shoes, stood up and shucked his jacket, slid off his tie, unbuttoned and removed his dress shirt, and dropped his pants. She knew that he was tossing the whole of the suit into a pile on the floor, not concerned with wrinkles or the like, and she found herself repressing a smile at the thought.

The bed dipped again, a small burst of cold air causing goose bumps on her arm when Damon slid under the covers with her. Then his arm wrapped around her waist, and he nuzzled into her neck, and let out a long, slow breath.

"I'm so glad you're asleep," he whispered, "Because I would never say this if you were awake; but I'm so glad I have you to come home to now."

And with that, he pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder, and drifted off to sleep, leaving Elena to wonder, smiling, if everyone else had been right after all.


	11. The Push

**A/N: Oops, I did it again... If you follow me on Twitter, then you'll know that I mean to post this chapter Thursday night. Then, it freaking expanded. I got to page 12, and realized that I was only about half way through, so I hacked it in the middle of a scene. Next chapter will be up tomorrow night.**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>"<em>You're amazing," Damon moaned, his head pressed into Elena's shoulder.<em>

_Elena herself had her head thrown back, one hand gripping his shoulder through his white t-shirt, the other clasped the railing that ran around the elevator. She had her skirt pushed up on her hips, her legs around his waist as he thrust into her._

"_Damon..." she breathed, moving her hand from the railing to pull his hair back and kiss him. "Oh God... I'm so... Ah!"_

_One of his hands moved from the wall to her clit, rubbing it lightly and making Elena's head spin. _

"_Damon, I lo-"_

* * *

><p>Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Beeeeep.<p>

Elena's eyes snapped open, and it took her longer than usual to recognize where she was. She rolled over, and slammed her hand on the top of her alarm clock, flopping onto her back once more and letting out a long breath.

Her heart was pounding, she was covered in sweat, and there was a throbbing between her legs that was undeniable. Slowly, she turned her head to the other side, a small smile tugging at her lips at the sight of Damon spread eagled, one leg on top of the comforter, a fist clenched over his abs, and his other arm thrown above his head on the pillow.

"Why, oh why, would I set my alarm for 8 o'clock on a Saturday morning?" she moaned quietly, trying to remember what else she had to do that day, besides her reunion dance in the evening. But unfortunately for her, she was still distracted by the dream she had just had.

She lifted her head and fell back into her pillow before grabbing it and covering her face. Her heart had slowed down a little, but the throbbing was still there, strong as ever, her body begging for the release that her dream-self had been on the verge of. And just as she pulled the pillow off, she heard Damon sigh, and a very bad thought occurred to her.

She rolled herself over, straddling the man in her bed, ignoring the nervous voice in her mind that tended to discourage her from anything like this. For a moment, she simply looked at him, from his messy black hair to his pouting lips, down to his well-defined chest and abs. Then, slowly, never looking away from his face, she leaned to kiss along his collarbone.

He made a small humming sound, and twitched his head, but was otherwise unmoving. She smirked, closing her eyes and allowing her fingers to dance over his taut stomach, kissing down his sternum and over his nipples. At that, he stirred, moving both his hands to his sides, and slowly moving them up her thighs.

"G'morning," he rasped, cracking an eye and glancing at her.

She was still leaving wet, open-mouthed kisses down his torso, and when she reached the waist of his boxers, she met his eyes again, and with one long swipe, drew her tongue back up until she could capture his lips in a searing kiss.

"Mmmm..." He moved his hands up to her hips, and began lightly stroking her back. "Not that I'm complaining, but to what do I owe this lovely wake up call?"

She giggled and shrugged, sliding back down to kiss his chest again. "Had a dream," she muttered against his skin.

"Oh yeah? What about?"

"Nothing exciting..." She continued to kiss lower, and he propped his head up on his hands to watch her progress. "Just you, me, and the elevator."

She felt his cock twitch against her stomach and smiled, reaching his waistband again and meeting his eyes, tugging the boxers down a little...

"Elena!" Jeremy yelled through her bedroom door.

"Goddammit!" she hissed, and Damon fell back, groaning.

"You've gotta wake up," the young man continued, "Or we'll be late to meet Jenna for breakfast!"

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" Elena muttered, hauling herself back up Damon's body and kissing him hard before making her way to the door and ripping it open, glaring at her brother. "I'm up! Meet you downstairs in twenty, k?"

She didn't even wait for his answer before slamming the door and spinning on her heel. To her disappointment, Damon had risen and was standing a few feet behind her, watching her with calculating eyes.

"Twenty minutes, huh?" he asked her.

"I forgot about Jenna," she answered, leaning back against the door. "Otherwise I wouldn't have teased you like that."

He waved a hand, dismissing her sort-of apology, and moved so close that she found herself pinned between his warm chest, and the door. One of his hands went to the doorknob, while the other slid from curve of her breast, down her waist and hip to the edge of her shorts, playing the fabric.

"Later," he breathed into her ear, causing her to return to the exact state that she'd woken up in.

As though he could read her mind, Damon chuckled, leaned around her, and slid out of the room, leaving her with no other option than a fifteen minute long cold shower.

* * *

><p>Damon entered his own room smirking. Elena was getting there, if her actions were any indication. And today, he decided, would be the day that he would give her a little push.<p>

* * *

><p>That afternoon, after Jeremy had gone to Brooklyn with Jenna and Elena had returned home, Damon stood in front of his closet, eyes hopping between two different outfits, leaning toward the black suit-black shirt-no tie combo, as opposed to the more traditional look. He had both suits in hand, and was in the hallway to ask Elena's opinion, when he heard a soft thump, and the shuffling sound that accompanied Jessica's reaction to such sounds.<p>

He strode to the young woman's bedroom, but she wasn't in there at all. Perplexed, he turned in a circle, as though expecting her to materialize from within the walls, when he heard her laugh from down the hall. Slowly, he made his way in the direction of the noise before stopping in front of Elena's open bedroom door.

The occupant of the room was standing between her bed and the open window, crouched, talking to someone under the bed. And that someone was...

"Jessica, are you okay?" he asked, startling Elena so that she tumbled over, causing both women, visible and invisible, to laugh loudly.

"I'm fine Damon," came the disembodied reply as he moved within the room. "Just taking my time, cleaning under Elena's bed."

Emphasizing her point, three magazines slid out in rapid succession on Elena's side, while a pair of boxers and two different coloured socks emerged on Damon's side. A moment later, Jessica crawled out, accepting the other woman's hand and standing.

"You should keep better track of your things," Jessica stated quietly, pointing at the articles of male clothing that were clearly Damon's. "They'll disappear in the black hole that's apparently in there." She sneezed and looked over at Elena, smiling. "Now I know where to go if I ever need to hide a corpse."

The two laughed, but the man just frowned, watching the two of them as though they were a completely different species.

"Alright then, I'll just... go..." he offered and inched back toward the door.

Once there, he stopped and looked into the room again. Both women were seated on the bed, Elena in front of Jessica, the latter running a comb through the former's hair, and asking questions about styling. Still frowning, he stumbled down the hall to Rose's empty room, entered without knocked and sat down, stunned, on the bed.

A moment later, the teacher entered, stepping back in surprise at the sight of Damon.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He looked up at her, but seemed to be looking through her.

"I have a problem. Jessica came out for Elena."

She nodded, slowly, and took a step towards him. "And why is that a problem?"

Damon shook his head. "She hasn't ever come out for anyone but me. Clearly, Elena and Jessica have some sort of understanding. Elena gets her. And I -" He halted suddenly, as if he was choking on his tongue.

Rose asked, concerned. "What is it?"

This time, he met her eyes. "I think I'm in love with Elena."

* * *

><p>Elena stared out the window of the car as she and Damon rode to her high school reunion. Every so often, she would bring her hand up to chew her fingernail before catching herself and clenching her fist in her lap. She hadn't realized that Damon had been watching her until he caught her hand, causing her to jump.<p>

"I didn't know you did that," he said, looking at her fingers before meeting her eyes again.

"Oh," she laughed lightly, "I only do it when I'm nervous."

"And what are you nervous about?"

"Just... Seeing people that I haven't seen in a while. Normal reunion stuff."

He didn't say anything, just stroked the back of her hand and eventually, she turned to watch the scenery pass them by, chewing her lip.

Apparently, Damon noticed her distraction. And he did not seem to approve of it one bit.

He released her hand and slid it along her knee to where her dress rode up. She was wearing the one he'd chosen, the red one. It tied together around her neck and was form-fitted to her hips, where it layered out to below her knee. A flowery-looking bow accented the low waist, and Jessica had clipped a matching black flower to her curled ponytail.

Her breathing sped up the more he stroked her leg, and when he leaned in close and nipped at her earlobe, she let out a surprised gasp.

"Would you like me to distract you?" he asked in a low voice that she would never be able to deny.

She shuddered and turned to meet his eyes before leaning in to kiss him. It was a slow, deliberate, embrace, and she languidly dragged her tongue along his bottom lip, and moaned when he opened his mouth to her. Encouraged, he squeezed her thigh just above her knee, and slowly moved his hand up, underneath her skirt. Her heart was pounding more with every inch of skin he crossed, until he finally reached the apex of her thighs, and she thought she might faint.

He was apparently worried for that as well. With a light chuckle, he removed his hand and placed it on her collarbone, rubbing it with his thumb. His left arm snaked around her waist, and he hauled her into his lap. His thumb moved down to glide through her cleavage, and he took the opportunity to cup her breast, lightly moving a finger over her nipple. Elena whimpered as the nub hardened against the fabric of her dress, stimulating her further.

"More..." she hissed against his mouth.

For a moment, he froze, apparently unsure of what exactly she wanted him to do. Then they both acted at once, Elena wrapping her arms around his neck, and Damon sliding his hand into her dress, causing her to moan when he grazed her bare nipple.

He smiled into her mouth, changing course to trail kisses down her neck, while continuing to alternately graze and roll the now-pebbled nub.

She crossed her legs, feeling her panties growing damp from his ministrations, and she knew that, in that moment, she would give anything if he would just...

"Damon," she whispered, her fingers wrapping around his wrist and attempting to force him to touch him where she needed it, "I want more."

Without hesitating this time, he returned his hand to her knee, rubbing her thigh slowly, building her anticipation. As he made his way closer, her legs loosened, her core throbbing for him.

"Damon, please..."

She felt him smile against her neck. "Well, since you've asked so nicely..."

He slid his hand under her skirt and pressed his palm to her center.

"You're so wet," he murmured, which really only served to turn her on even more.

"Seems like I have been for weeks. Every time I'm with you, I – Ah!"

He moved her panties to the side and drew a finger between her folds, circling her swollen clit. All at once, she felt the tension in her body fade and grow stronger in anticipation. She wanted him, all of him, in her and around her and part of her.

"Well, I think I can help you with that..." He drifted off before diving in with two fingers.

She bucked her hips, gasping at the sudden intrusion, arching back just a little at the feel of him stroking her inner walls.

"How's that?" he asked, grinning.

She bucked her hips again."Mmm... More, Damon... Please..."

He sucked on her neck and thrust his fingers, speeding up. She cried out, her fingers gripping his neck and hair.

"You know," he whispered in her ear, "If it's this good with just two fingers, imagine how great it would feel with my tongue."

...

_That's all I've been doing for weeks,_ she thought when her brain started working again.

"Do it," she almost begged.

He didn't need to be told twice. He placed both hands on her hips and slid her back onto the seat before dropping to his knees before her. With one hand, he parted her legs, meeting her eyes once more as he kissed the inside of each knee.

"Oh God," she whined, closing her eyes and pressing her head back.

Her fingers dug into the fabric of the seat, and she wondered how he could have her this close to falling apart already. He kissed his way up one thigh, then repeated the action on the other, before Elena, exasperated, grabbed his hair and moved him to where she needed him most.

"Yes ma'am," he laughed, his breath stimulating her already over-stimulated sex.

He hooked a finger to each side of her black thong and slid it down her legs and off her ankles.

"Here," he said, looking up at her again, placing the dampened fabric in her palm, "You don't want to lose these."

And with a final wink, he pulled her hips forward and moved in, spreading her lips with his thumbs and licking her all the way to her clit.

"Omgodamon!" she squealed, her grip on his hair tightening.

He did it again, and again, lapping at her like a parched man, and she found herself forgetting everything; the car, the reunion, her lingering resentment over the ambiguity of their relationship. All of it disappeared with the feel of his tongue on her.

And inside of her. She muttered nonsense when she felt him penetrate her entrance. And then he was gone, sucking on her clit, two fingers driving hard into her, stroking the spongy tissue inside of her.

She forgot her own name at that point. But certainly not his.

"Damon! Oh my g-Ah! Damon! Yes!"

She felt like she was on repeat, screaming his name. He didn't seem to mind. With every cry from her lips he doubled his efforts; sucking harder, thrusting harder, everything harder. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably, her body covered in a light sheen of sweat, her eyes clenched so tight she could see shapes and colours and all kinds of things that weren't there.

She knew she was close; her clit was so swollen it was almost painful, and she could feel her vaginal walls spasming.

"Damon, I'm right there... Please, just a little more!"

His grip on her thighs tightened, nails digging in, and she was gone, completely unaware of anything as the waves of her orgasm crashed over her. Damon was still licking her, sucking on her, moving inside of her, drawing out her pleasure.

"_Five minute warning,_" came a voice over a speaker, and Elena's eyes snapped open.

"Oh my God, Damon!" She grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back. "I can't believe – We just – You just -"

He smirked, pressing kisses to her knees again. "I believe that the words you are searching for," he began, moving up to sit next to her again, "Are, 'Thank you.'"

"What if Jerry heard us?" she hissed, pulling her underwear back on.

Damon just leaned back, looking very much like the cat that caught the canary... And ate it.

"I'm pretty sure he would only have heard _you_, and it's a moot point because that divider is soundproof. And besides, you have no idea the things I have gotten into in this back seat. Or who..."

He winked at her, but she scowled. "Thanks for the reminder that I am only one of many."

His face fell, and he looked so stunningly devastated for a moment that she instantly regretted her words. She softened, reaching up to stroke his cheek and kiss him, tasting herself on his lips.

"Do you want -?"

He shook his head, a genuine smile gracing his lips. "I really just wanted to make you feel good. And did I succeed?"

She felt her face grow hot and she nodded, curling into his shoulder for the remainder of the drive.

* * *

><p>Damon was on his best behaviour as they entered the high school. Elena took the lead, handing over their tickets while his hand pressed against her lower back, occasionally stroking her spine when she stopped to talk to an old teacher or former classmate. She held his hand as they made their way through the gymnasium, examining the displays along the walls.<p>

They were acting like a normal couple. And Damon was loving it.

"Oh my God..." he heard Elena gasp.

He turned to see what she was looking at, and a smile tugged at his lips.

"What?" he asked, his arms wrapped around her waist and his lips next to her ear. "Did you really think that no one else noticed how talented you are?"

In front of them was a display dedicated to Elena's illustrious career at the New York Times. There were examples of her writing from the high school newspaper, her early articles with various publications, and excerpts from her more recent endeavours.

"You know, you're the only person to ever get me to read a newspaper," stated a voice next to them.

The couple turned in unison to face a blonde man who was watching Elena, a happy expression on his face.

"Matt!" she cried, pulling out of Damon's embrace to throw herself into the man's arms.

The newcomer lifted her off her feet and they spun while the dark-haired man crossed his arms over his chest and tried very hard not to pout. Matt and Elena continued to hold each other loosely after they'd finished their spectacle, staring into each others eyes and making Damon want to vomit.

_This cannot be happening!_ Damon thought to himself. _She cannot be making googly-eyes at some jock twenty minutes after I got her off in the car!_

He cleared his throat, and Elena jumped a little, stepping away from the man and grabbing Damon's hand.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, meeting his eyes, her face flushed, "Damon, this is Matt, one of my oldest friends. And Matt, this is Damon, my boyfriend."

_Ha! She called him her 'friend'. She called me her 'boyfriend'. I knew I had nothing to worry about..._

The two men shook hands, both smiling pleasantly, but there was a tense undercurrent to the proceedings, which Elena was apparently oblivious to, given the way she was bouncing as she and Matt chatted. Finally, after much too long according to Damon, the blonde man excused himself, but not before he and Elena agreed to meet up again on the dance floor.

_Sneaky bastard... Taking advantage of her being excited about her display..._

"... Even listening? Damon!"

He shook his head, and realized that he had completely tuned out of what Elena was saying to him. She tugged his hand, her eyes wide, her eyebrows furrowed.

"What? I'm sorry, I zoned out for a second."

"I asked if you wanted to head to the cafeteria. There's a bar there, and I'm sure that's where Jenna and Jeremy will be." Damon nodded, and they moved into the hallway. "I'm pretty sure that by now, Jeremy will need saving." She gave him a conspiratorial look and continued. "He was a bit of a ladies man in high school; there's no way one or more of his exes isn't here."

"Should I be expecting more of yours?" Damon grumbled, following her through the doors to the cafeteria, where the dance was being held.

She cocked an eyebrow at his tone, but was cut off before she could answer.

"Hey guys!" It was Jenna, followed closely by Alaric.

"Hey," Elena echoed, " Where's Jer?"

The elder sister's eyes darkened, and she turned to the corner of the room where the man in question stood, involved in what appeared to be an intense conversation with a scantily clad woman.

"Who's that?" Damon enquired.

"Bad news," Jenna answered grimly. "That's Vicki Donovan; the reason Jeremy got into drugs in the first place."

"Whoa," Elena interjected, "You know what the counselors said: Jeremy's decisions are his own. There were a lot of factors that contributed to his issues, and as much as _she_ may have been one of them, at the end of the day, he did it all to himself."

Jenna didn't answer, choosing instead to glare at her brother and his ex-girlfriend, scowling as though that would solve every problem in the universe. Alaric glanced at Damon and rolled his eyes.

"Anyways," Elena persisted, "Who else have you seen?"

The two women chattered and laughed for some time over old memories. Others joined the group sometimes before drifted away to meet up with others. Damon was on his way back from the bar with his and Elena's drinks when he realized that she was no longer with her sister and his best friend. Noticing Damon's distress, Ric met his eyes and cocked his head toward the dance floor, where Elena and Matt were dancing.

To the song 'Wild Horses'.

With their arms around each other.

Damon almost threw his glasses into the wall.

After a few calming breaths, he finished his trek back to his friends, and leaned against the wall with what he hoped was a casual air of indifference.

"Who spit on your cupcake and called it frosting?"

It was Jeremy, who appeared to have finally extricated himself from Vicki's persistent badgering, although she was still following him with her eyes.

"Nothing," Damon answered flatly.

"Dude, that isn't answer. What's wrong with you?"

At this point, Jenna and Alaric had moved closer, simultaneously sensing the opportunity to make fun of their black-haired companion.

"Nothing's wrong, just waiting for Elena to be finished with the tank over there."

Jenna giggled. "Yeah, he always was pretty massive. He got this great football scholarship for college, but broke his back in a game during his sophomore year. He manages a restaurant nearby."

Damon snorted derisively, earning him a scathing glance from the woman.

"I wouldn't let Elena hear you disrespect Matt like that. They were dating from the sandbox through to graduation. She loves that guy."

"Not helping..." Ric muttered.

Damon was about to answer her, but Jeremy cut him off.

"Calm down Jenna. Damon isn't being an ass, he's just jealous. Everyone knows that he's in love with her."

The ensuing silence was heavy in spite of the loud music and general chatter. Damon was still staring at Elena, while the three others were staring at him.

"What?" he snapped when he noticed Ric gaping.

"You aren't denying it."

"Denying what?"

It was Jenna's turn now. She had softened a little, faced with the true depth of his feelings for her little sister. "Oh my God Damon! You're actually in love with her!"

He quickly shoved both drinks into Jeremy's hands.

"Right, I'm out of here."

And with that, he stalked over and tapped roughly on Matt's shoulder.

"May I cut in?"

He didn't even wait for an answer before spinning Elena away from her blonde ex-jock and into his own waiting arms.

"Mmmm... I couldn't wait for you anymore," he murmured in her ear, tightening his hold on her waist and relishing in the shudder that made its way down her spine.

They moved slowly together, silently, Elena's head on his shoulder, his hand covering hers on his chest. A feeling of calm stole over him, making him feel like the world was perfect, just by holding her. Then the song changed and sped up a little, but they continued in their embrace.

And then, Damon Salvatore shot himself in the foot.

"I don't like that Matt guy."

"And why not?" Elena bristled.

"He's too... big."

"Big?" she repeated, pulling back to face him. "Some women find that appealing."

"Do you?" he asked bitterly.

"I did. I don't know... Maybe?"

It went silent as the calmness faded, leaving Damon feeling queasy, anxious, and not a little upset. And an upset Damon is most certainly not a thinking Damon.

"Well, he sure is a winner. Broken back, working at some low-grade diner for the rest of his life and -"

Elena stepped back suddenly, shock warping her features.

"That's enough Damon! You've spoken, like, two words to him the whole night. You have no right to go around judging people just because you were born into a family of high society snobs. Believe it or not, most people have to work hard and earn everything that they get. You have no idea what Matt has gone through, the struggle that he faced just to finish high school. You just – God!"

She huffed and stomped her foot, turning on her heel and storming off. After blinking for a few moments, Damon moved off as well, heading into the hallway that she'd disappeared into. But the moment he left the gym, he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Turning, he met the blue eyes of the man that he had now decided that he hated with a passion.

"Get your hand off of my shoulder," he growled.

"Tell me what you said to upset Elena," the other man replied in an equally threatening tone.

Now, on any other day, Damon would have backed right off. Matt was taller than him, and about twice as wide. In spite of his injury, the blonde man appeared to have kept up a regular fitness regimen, if the bulk in his arms and chest were any indication.

But that evening, the lawyer's temper had clearly gotten the better of him. He reached up and gripped Matt's shoulder.

"It's none of your business," he hissed, pushing the other man away.

In a heartbeat, Damon found himself pressed up against the lockers.

"Listen here, dick," Matt spat. "Whatever happened between Elena and I in the past, I still care about her. I read that story in the paper, and I know all about you. I don't know what game you think that you're playing with her, hopping around with three other women and expecting her to be okay with it, but she deserves better than that. She deserves better than you."

Ignoring the ache in his shoulders from being pinned, Damon retorted, "And you think that's you? Living in some crappy apartment, working at the restaurant, coming home smelling like grease and sweat? You probably want her to give up her career to stay at home and raise the kids. You don't even know what she's capable of."

"I know that I love her. I love her more than anything in this life, and when she's finished having her little vacation in your world, she'll come running back to me."

And with a final slam, Matt stepped back, fixed his suit jacket, and returned to the cafeteria.


	12. The Payback

**A/N: Lookit me! Posting on time and everything! Woo! Love all the reviews! Glad everyone approved of the limo ride ;), although the contention over Matt and Damon's showdown was a little unexpected. Nothing particularly interesting in this chapter though, just like watching paint dry. Or maybe I'm lying a little.**

**Either way, enjoy!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>Jenna and Alaric were just making their way off the dance floor when Damon approached them. He looked considerably worse for the wear, Jenna noted, given the rumpled appearance of his jacket and the pale look on his face.<p>

"Have either of you seen Elena? I can't find her."

His voice was strained, and Jenna frowned at the concern she felt radiating off her sister's boyfriend.

"Why? What happened?" Ric asked for her.

The darker man sighed. "I did exactly what you," he looked at Jenna, "told me not to do. I griped about Matt, and I pissed her off, and now I can't find her."

His desperate look is what did it for the eldest Gilbert. She understood then with perfect clarity exactly what was going on. Up to this point, he hadn't had to compete with anyone at all for Elena's affections. Her younger sister was always too busy with work to bother with men anyways, (or, at least, she had been since that ugly break-up the year before) so it had been a moot point. But now, within five minutes of Matt being on the scene, the lawyer was finally able to see Elena as an independent person, someone outside of his little game. And he was scared that he would lose her.

Unable to figure out another way to get him to listen to her again, she pulled her hand back and slapped him, his head snapping to the side.

"You idiot!" she all but yelled, although the music ensured that no one else could hear her. "What? You suddenly figure out that you have real feelings for her, and you think that you're allowed to get jealous?"

He suspended rubbing his jaw to answer, but she didn't let him. "Look, if you want her all to yourself, you're going to have to tell her. She's big on words, and all that you've told her is that you don't want love, you don't want a relationship, you just want to keep it light. Am I wrong?"

He shook his head, frowning, processing what she was saying. "Good. Now think about that, and figure out what you're going to do, but if you hurt her, so help me..."

But he was already gone, running out of the cafeteria like the hounds of hell were on his tail.

* * *

><p>Elena was definitely glad that she'd had to wear a uniform when she was in high school. Because of that, she was undaunted in her mission to escape to the roof through a bathroom window. She'd stood outside, breathing in the late summer air, until she was calm enough to run the risk of confronting Damon. If he hadn't already left...<p>

She knew that Damon was jealous, and that that was why he'd reacted the way he had. But it still wasn't a good enough reason for her to just let it slide. There were so many double-standards dictating their relationship, she just wasn't sure what was happening anymore.

First; he was allowed to see as many women as he wanted, without acknowledging the fact that it might upset her.

Second; Caroline, Rose and (if it ever actually came up) Jessica were allowed to see whoever they wanted. Hell, Caroline was actively dating Tyler, and Damon not only didn't have a problem, but he was encouraging her!

Third; she hadn't even done anything! She'd seen an old friend, hugged him, danced with him, and that was it. It wasn't like they'd gone off to discuss the possibly of resurrecting their dead romance, which was a ridiculous notion in any case. She no longer harboured the latent feelings of love that had haunted her during her first few months without him. Back then, when she drifted off to sleep, it was to pictures of her and Matt, all grown up and married, with a family of their own. But now, when she drifted off, it was another pair of blue eyes staring lovingly into her own.

With a sigh, she shook her head and ducked back in the window. She touched up her make-up, glad that she hadn't cried, and examined the back of her dress, making sure that no dirt from outside had tarnished it. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she headed back into the hall and straight into a hard chest.

"Elena? Good... Great! I thought maybe you'd left or something!"

She stepped back and met the blue eyes staring hopefully at her.

"Damon? What are you doing up here? This part of the school is roped off!"

She grabbed his arm, and made to drag him downstairs, but he pulled her back.

"Hang on... We need to talk about this," he stated uncomfortably.

"'Talk about this'? Damon, since when do you talk about anything important. Anytime I try to say anything that you may not want to hear, you push me into the nearest wall and kiss me until I either give up, or forget what I was thinking." Blushing at the revelation, she snapped her mouth shut.

He was holding up his hands, surrendering. "I know. And I'm sorry. Look, what I said about Matt... I don't like him, but you were right. I was being rude and judgemental about someone that I know nothing about."

"Okay..." Elena answered, resolutely not moving forward. "Well then thank you for that." They both stood, awkwardly looking at the floor, for a few moments. "Look, if you want to head out, you can. This probably wasn't a good idea after all, and I think I'll just stay with Jenna tonight."

Damon's eyes widened and he took an unconscious step forward. "What? You can't just bail because we had one argument!"

"I'm not bailing! I'm just taking a night off. I need to think about some stuff, and I can't do that in a bed that smells like you! So call Jerry, get him to come and get you, and I'll call you tomorrow."

She turned then without waiting for an answer and started down the stairs. She made it all the way to the bottom when she heard the sound of feet slapping on the floor, and then Damon was in front of her, eyes blazing, mouth working soundlessly. It almost looked like he was choking on something...

"I -" he rasped. "I – I – I'm not sleeping with anyone," he finally blurted.

"You – What?"

"I'm not... I mean, I'm technically sleeping with you, but I'm not having sex with anyone. Not since -" he looked down, clearly uncomfortable with the turn in conversation. "Not since you kissed me for the first time. I swear, I can't even imagine anyone but you."

For a second, she stood, frozen, wondering what exactly he meant to achieve by confessing that. Then he reached forward to cup her cheek and she stepped closer to him, a little.

"Please come home with me tonight. I don't want to leave this overnight; I need to figure this out with you. Please?"

In the time it took her to nod into his palm, she realized that she'd made up her mind the moment he'd found her. She couldn't leave him, not even for one night, and she kicked herself for letting it get this far, so fast.

"Go call Jerry," she said softly, "I'll just go say goodbye to Jer and Jenna."

He nodded and moved away, turning left down the hall toward the front doors, while she headed to the right, back to the cafeteria. She found Jenna and Ric easily enough, although she was a little put off by the way that they both watched her. Jeremy approached her a moment later, and asked if he could hop in with her and Damon. She sent him out to wait by the front of the school.

And then there was only one thing left to do. She scanned the crowd, searching for the hulking silhouette amongst the dancers. A tap on her shoulder distracted her.

"Looking for me?" Matt asked when she turned to face him.

"Just to say goodbye," she said, infusing her voice with a finality that she hoped he would hear.

And he did. His smile faded and he frowned a little. "You're letting him take advantage of you, 'Lena. You could do so much better!"

She shrugged. "He's a good guy, just a little emotionally stunted. And I really care about him, so I can't just walk away."

"The way you walked away from me," he pointed out bitterly.

"Exactly. There's nothing left here for us, Matt. There hasn't been for years. It's time for you to accept that, okay?" She leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, and when she said, "Have a good night," it sounded a lot more like, "Have a good life."

* * *

><p>The limo ride home was awkward to say the least. Jeremy sat between the still-tense couple, and tried valiantly to maintain some sort of conversation. He ended up telling Damon the story of how, after their parents had died, Jeremy had been searching for a way to cope, and had ended up in a long and very destructive relationship with Vicki Donovan, which in turn had started him with the drugs.<p>

When they finally got home, the three were quiet, padding through the living room and up the stairs where the younger man bid the other two a hasty goodbye.

"So..." Damon began, looking pointedly at Elena's bedroom door.

Still silently, Elena led him in, but blocked him from moving any further one he'd closed the door behind him.

"I just need to make something clear," she began. "You were married once, right?" He blanched but nodded stiffly. "I don't need to talk about if you don't want to, but... Okay, I get the commitment phobia. I understand. You and I both know that I am the queen of intimacy issues. So what I'm about to say isn't a judgement or an ultimatum or anything, understand?" He nodded again, and she took a deep breath before getting to her point.

"This whole jealousy thing is completely unacceptable, given the way things are. Do you think I'm not upset every time you leave me to go on a date with Caroline? Or hang out with Rose? Or cuddle up with Jessica? I know the rules; I know how this works. We aren't exclusive, and I don't have any kind of claim on you. But that goes both ways. You can't be possessive and jealous unless it's just the two of us in this relationship, _if_ that ever happens. Got it?"

"Elena, I-"

She clapped her hand over his mouth and pressed herself up against him. "Got it?" He nodded yet again, and she dropped her hand. "Good. So I'm going to go and take a shower. I'll see you in a few."

And with that, she spun away from him.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Damon lay in Elena's bed, wearing only a pair of flannel pants that he'd left on her desk chair a few days before. With his hands behind his head, he processed everything that had happened that evening. Or, rather, he focused on something that hadn't.<p>

He wasn't at all surprised, if he was honest. He had only just realized that afternoon that he was in lo-o-o-... Yeah, that wouldn't work unless he could at least think the word without choking. And he had even tried to say it, a few times, but he just couldn't manage it. But, as usual, Elena was amazing and understanding and fixed everything so that they could keep going as they had been.

But was that even what he wanted anymore?

Add to the fact that if he even wanted to be monoga – ugh (he couldn't even think _that_ either!), he would have to be completely honest with her, about everything. His ex-wife, his brother... Everything.

She tiptoed back into the room. He had shut of the lights already, and closed his eyes. It was a game he played with himself every night he spent with her, letting himself feel her getting closer and slipping into the bed, rather than trying to watch her. He reckoned he had her movements memorized by now.

Wordlessly, she crawled under the comforter and curled up on her side, careful not to touch him. She was clearly still angry with him, at least a little. And that bothered him more than he liked to admit.

It bothered him so much that, an hour later, he was still awake. He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position, but he had grown so accustomed to sleeping with Elena in his arms, that anything else with futile.

"What's the matter with you?" she grumbled sleepily from her side.

"Can't sleep," he grunted, punching his pillow and flopping back down.

"Clearly," she deadpanned. It was quiet, then, "I'm still upset with you."

"Yes, I noticed. Thank you for the reminder, Elena. That would be the exact reason why I can't sleep."

She heaved a sigh and he heard her sit up. "Roll over," she ordered.

He obeyed, rolling onto his back once more, his hands again behind his head.

"Close your eyes." He did, and felt her soft lips on his forehead, eyelids, nose, cheeks and lips. He tried to kiss her back, but she was already gone, working her way down in much the same way that she had that morning, when she had wanted to -

"Elena?"

"Sh..." she breathed against his abs. "Everyone else is asleep. There will be no brothers around to ruin it this time."

"You don't..." He was fairly certain that he was either going to say something stupid, or chew off his own tongue to avoid doing such a thing. "You don't have to do this. If you're upset with me..."

And then she said what was potentially the sexiest thing she had ever said.

"But I really want to taste you, Damon."

His cock twitched, and she must have felt it against her torso, because he could feel the breath from her laughter warm against his skin. And then she was kissing his hipbones, and sliding a hand inside of his pants. Her fingers wrapped around his length and he bucked. He couldn't help it; he hadn't been touched by a woman in months at this point. Slowly, too slowly, she began to move her hand up and down, causing him to harden more and more.

"Please don't stop..." he pleaded.

"You know," she said matter-of-factly, somehow back up next to his ear without him noticing, "I really like the idea of you begging. I mean, I had to ask you over -" Pump. "Over-" Pump. "And over in the car..." She lightly ran her thumb over his weeping head, and he bucked again.

He had no problem playing this game; hell, he would walk barefoot to the Arctic circle if it meant she kept touching him. Because now that she'd started, he was sure he could never go back.

"Make me come, Elena!"

"With my hand?" she asked in a husky voice, speeding up her pumping for a few strokes before slowing down again.

"You said you wanted to taste me," he blurted.

"Mm hmm..." she moaned into his ear, biting his earlobe and sucking on it.

"Use your mouth! I want to come inside of you, even if that's the only way."

The last thing he heard from her was an indulgent chuckle before she sank back down again, settling herself between his legs and sliding his pants down, finally freeing him. Her hand wrapped around him again, and she kissed his tip, and then licked around it. She dragged her tongue all the way up his shaft, and took him in, as far as she could. She swirled her tongue around him, and bobbed her head, moaning when he hit the back of her throat.

"Sweet Jesus, Elena! Oh God... That's... Faster!"

She hummed out a response, and the consequent vibrations had him arching back and grabbing for her hair. She pulled back momentarily, and he collapsed.

"What -What are you -?"

She was still breathing on his cock, keeping it warm while she spoke. "You taste so good already..."

And then she had him again, her mouth wrapped tightly around his base, her hands massaging his balls, her tongue stimulating him everywhere at once, her own back arching whenever he made a sound.

And was he ever making sounds. What started out as light moaning rapidly became flat out cries, sometimes strung into words, sometimes just intermittent noises. One hand was fisted into the sheets, and he thrust forward into her mouth. For a second, he was worried about her reaction, but she simply hummed along with it. He tried it again, and she moved her hands to grip his hips, setting him a rhythm to fuck her mouth.

"So... So... Good... Elena, I'm so close..."

This only spurred her on, and she moved faster and faster, meeting his jerking hips, deep throating him every time. He was speaking nonsense now, all of the languages he knew mixed together in a jumbled mess of sound. His entire body tightened in anticipation of his impending release, and he forced his eyes open, forced himself to look down at the angel sucking him off so perfectly. As though on instinct, her eyes flicked up; wide, innocent doe-eyes boring into his own as her mouth and tongue did sinful things to him.

He moved faster, his grip on her hair tightening, and she began to hum in earnest, every vibration sending him spiralling higher and higher and higher until he couldn't hold it back anymore and he spilled himself down her throat. She swallowed convulsively, still slowly pumping him with her mouth, taking in every last drop of him until he begged her to stop.

She slid his pants back up to his hips and settled in the crook of his arm, pressing her lips to his neck.

It took him a few minutes before he could finally speak words.

"Elena," he whispered.

"Mm?"

"Phenomenal and earth-shattering."


	13. Torpedoed

**A/N: I always get to this part right before posting, and I always forget what I'd meant to include. So I'm writing this in the document itself, three paragraphs in, after receiving the most recent review for chapter 12.**

**_Liz_, you are awesome, and a very introspective reviewer. Thank you so much for your consistent feedback. I really do appreciate your support.**

**In other news, please hold your applause, I _do_ know that I am the most awesome person ever for posting three chapters in three days :D (On a similar note, two of my basketball players brought me an extra large coffee yesterday (the new extra large is pretty much a bucket), and told me it's because they love me extra large. Guess who's now on the starting lineup ;) Yeah, I can be bought...)**

**Ahem, so, I'm not going to delay any further, because I'm totally jacked about this chapter. So enjoy!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>Being Damon Salvatore's administrative assistant had its highs and lows, Susan thought. He was eccentric and a little flighty; very difficult to pin down, mentally and physically, as he always seemed to be darting from one place to the next.<p>

But for the most part, he was a genuinely good man, even though she sometimes had a hard time seeing him as such. She had worked at the law firm for decades, and had watched him grow from a chubby little boy to a fine man, charming in spite of his flaws.

He was also exceedingly generous. Why, the preceding May, he had bought her eldest son an iPad for his high school graduation.

But still, some days were stranger than others, and this particular day fell into the 'stranger' category.

"Mr Salvatore," she announced, rapping once on his office door.

She was surprised to hear him cry out, "Holy fuck!", and so she burst in, figuring that if he had wanted privacy, he would have locked the door.

Taking a few steps into the room, she caught a glimpse of him just as he slid back into his desk, his fists clenched over top of stacks of files, a Starbucks cup laying on its side.

"Are you alright, Mr Salvatore?"

He grimaced, evidently attempting to force a smile.

"I'm fine," he answered, his voice rising at the end. "I just spilled my boiling coffee on my lap when you knocked, that's all. What can I – ah – do for you?" He paused and shuddered. "Sorry, it's burning a little."

"Well then I'll get out of here. I just wanted to let you know that the teleconference that you'd had scheduled for the entire afternoon was postponed to tomorrow morning at eight o'clock. What would you like me to do with your morning appointments?"

He moved his left hand to grip the arm of his chair, and coughed before answering.

"Just move them to the evening." A pause. "I'll probably just work from home this afternoon then. Jessica has an appointment that I'd like to sit in on."

"Sounds good, Mr Salvatore. I'll leave you to it then."

"And could you lock the door on your way out? I'd like to change my pants."

Susan nodded curtly, and turned to leave the room, frowning when she heard him shout, "Jesus Christ!" as the lock clicked behind her.

* * *

><p>"Jesus Christ!" Damon shouted, rolling back from his desk and finally unclenching his fist to burrow his fingers into Elena's hair.<p>

He could hardly believe what had just happened. When Elena had called to say that she was coming to visit for lunch, he had told her that he didn't have much time, because of the now-cancelled teleconference, but she had responded by telling him to 'be ready' when she got there. Which he took to mean that he should have his pants off. Which he did.

And he was right. She hadn't even hesitated upon entering his office, striding directly to his chair, dropping into his lap, and kissing him as he fingered her beneath her skirt. She was still shaking from her orgasm as she slid off the chair, pulled his boxers down, and wrapped her lips around his manhood. Then Susan had shown up, and he'd knocked his coffee onto the floor in his haste to shuffle Elena under his desk. He had expected her to be upset about that; he hadn't expected her to continue her ministrations, seemingly trying her hardest to get him off while he attempted to keep his cool, talking to his secretary.

Which brought him to where he was, flung back in his office chair, his entire body shaking and his heart pounding in time with Elena's tongue. He shoved his free hand, now a fist, into his mouth to stifle the uncontrollable vocalizations that inevitably accompanied him as he neared his breaking point. Her fingernails dug into his thighs, and he was gone.

When he could finally open his eyes again, he was surprised to see Elena still kneeling on the floor between his legs, and he'd be damned if the sight didn't make him hard again.

"I thought I locked it," she whispered apologetically.

"Well clearly..." he quipped, winking at her.

She stood up and kissed him, sitting back on his desk when he stood up and shuffled around, pulling his pants back on. He jumped when her cell phone rang.

"Hello," he heard say.

He bustled around, arranging papers in his briefcase in anticipation of his departure, but dropped everything when she spoke next.

"What?" she exclaimed, her voice breaking. "What do you mean, 'an accident'? What kind of an -" Damon tried, and failed, to catch her eyes while she waited for the caller to speak. "But he's okay?" Silence. "Which hospital?" Longer silence. "Alright, I'm on my way." And she hung up without another word.

"What happened?" Damon asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, frowning when she moved away and made for the door.

"I have to go to the hospital."

"Elena!" he called after her, grabbing his briefcase and following. "What happened?"

"It's Jeremy," she answered, pressing the elevator call button. "Is Jerry here? Can I get a ride... It's on William he said." She frowned, stabbing the button like it had offended her in some way.

"Elena!" he shouted, causing the whole floor of the office to quieten momentarily. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "What happened?" he asked again softly.

The elevator doors opened, and she dragged him in. "That was one of Jeremy's coworkers; he had an accident at work. He's in the hospital. The guy said it wasn't life threatening, but he was unconscious until the paramedics got there, and -" she broke off with a choked sob.

Damon pulled her in close, and didn't release his hold on her until they were safely within the confines of the car.

"He's okay Elena," he murmured repeatedly into her hair. "He's fine."

But in spite of his soothing words, she just kept crying, and he had no idea why.

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the hospital, Elena tore into the building, forgoing the elevator in favour of the stairs. Her entire body was wired with panic, adrenaline shooting through her system. She could dimly hear Damon following her, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Jeremy was okay.<p>

Because she knew full well that the 'accident' was no accident. Dumpsters don't just roll around in level alleyways, crushing innocent bystanders. No, this entire circumstance absolutely screamed of Elijah.

She burst into the room that she'd been sent to by the reception desk and flung herself onto her little brother before he could even utter a single word. She didn't even notice that Damon wasn't following her anymore.

"Oh my God, Jer!" she breathed against his chest, elated when she felt his hand come up and stroke her back.

"I'm okay, Elena. It was just some of Klaus' guys, and they clearly didn't do a very good job. I'll just be more careful from now on."

She pulled back, standing again and taking a step away from the bed, valiantly attempting to calm herself down.

"I'll deal with it," she stated flatly.

"Elena," her brother began warningly, but broke off and looked over her shoulder.

She turned around, panicked at the thought that it might be Elijah. When she realized it was Damon, she collapsed into his arms with relief.

She was silent as her boyfriend asked all the practical questions that she hadn't even remembered. Jeremy had fractured his wrist and gotten a serious concussion. He was being kept overnight for observation.

"But I don't know how I'll pay for -"

Damon waved a dismissive hand at Jeremy's concern. "Don't worry about it. It's covered."

Both Gilbert's frowned and stared at him. "Damon, you don't have to -" the younger man began, but the elder cut him off.

"It's already done, so there's no point in protesting."

In spite of his words, Elena made to say something, but was interrupted by the arrival of a nurse.

"I'm sorry you two, but the patient needs his rest. You can come back this evening for another visit, but for now, I'll have to ask you to leave."

Elena almost protested, but off Jeremy's glance, changed her mind. She placed a soft kiss on her brother's forehead, whispered, "I'll fix it," and then left with Damon in tow.

* * *

><p>"You didn't have to do that," Elena said tiredly to Damon when they were in the elevator.<p>

"I know," he replied honestly. And he did know that he didn't _have_ to; but he had _wanted_ to.

"So why did you?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a hug, tucking her head under his chin. She had sounded entirely too fragile for her own good.

"Because anything that I can do to ease your mind, I'll do." He pulled back, giving her a knowing look. "And before you get all, 'I can afford my own medical bills,' it's just one night and a cast. If it was something like cancer, then I'd let you work it off." He finished with a wink and a lascivious grin that never failed to make her laugh.

And it worked. Her mood seemed a little lighter as they stepped out of the elevator. They had disentangled themselves from their embrace, but Elena reached over and pulled his arm around her waist, snuggling in under his arm.

Damon thought his heart might explode with joy. And then he thought that he was in the perfect place for that to happen, and snickered under his breath.

As he amused himself with such thoughts, the couple stepped through the doors, and Elena made a sudden noise in the back of her throat and froze.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the direction of her gaze and following it to a pale man walking towards them. "Elena?" he asked again, feeling a distinct sense of déjà vu as he turned her by the shoulders to face him.

"Nothing," she answered breathlessly, a stiff smile on her lips and tears in her eyes. "Sorry, I just saw an old friend. Why don't you go wait in the car? I'll be there in a minute."

Before he could protest, she was off, all but running toward the newcomer and pushing him back around a corner and out of Damon's sight.

For a moment he stood, blinking, confused about what had just happened. He looked over at the car where Jerry was waiting for them, but shook his head. No matter what kind of issues he and Elena had just worked through about him getting jealous, her disappearing into alleys with strange men was just not okay.

A seemingly unending series of 'What Ifs' presented itself to him, and he resolved then and there to confess the entirety of his feelings to Elena before the day was done. With that plan in mind, he darted forward, following the two into the alley.

* * *

><p>Elijah was surprisingly cooperative as Elena bustled him back and into the alley. Once they were there, her mouth worked soundlessly until she could finally settle on something to say.<p>

"You have some nerve coming here after what you've done!" she hissed.

He chuckled. "I don't understand; one would think that you would be happy that an old friend would come to visit your brother in the hospital after his accident."

"Why did you do it?"

His answering smile terrified her as he stepped closer. "Because I can."

The sound of fresh footsteps approaching stopped her from saying anything more. Looking over her shoulder, her stomach dropped when she saw that it was Damon.

"Hey," she called to him, attempting a cheery tone but failing entirely. "Why aren't you in the car? I'll be out in a second."

She turned back and met Elijah's eyes, repressing a shudder at the look on his face.

"Damon Salvatore," he almost purred.

The man in question now stood next to Elena, his arm wrapped possessively around her waist, and she would have given just about anything for him to not be so damn jealous, and just wait in the car.

"Leave it, Eli," she growled. And then, "Damon, get in the car!"

"Oh, come now Elena. I know that you don't want us to meet, but he is nothing to be ashamed of."

Elena's cheeks burned with rage as she realized what Elijah was trying to do. The master of mind games, he was manipulating the conversation to dismember her relationship with Damon, who, she noticed, was staring at her, frowning.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"My name is Elijah," the other man answered for her. "I've been dying to meet you. Unfortunately, Elena has been rather resistant, but it appears that fate has made other plans."

"Damon," she pleaded, turning her back on Elijah, which was generally inadvisable, and placing both hands on her boyfriend's chest. "I want to leave; can you take me home now?"

She knew that he couldn't resist her when she was like this. She also knew that she would have to explain _something_ later, but she just wasn't too sure what she would say.

They'd made it a few steps away when Elijah called out one last thing.

"Has she let you inside yet?"

Damon froze but Elena, in her determination to get him away from Elijah, continued to pull on his arm in desperation. It was in vain, however, when Damon slowly turned to face the other man.

"Damon," she whimpered. "Car; please. Come on, we need to leave."

"She's a hellcat between the sheets, isn't she? I remember our first date, she couldn't even wait for the end of the movie... Although I do think that her favourite was when I tied her up and -"

She didn't even realize what she was doing until she'd done it. She stormed back down the alley, brought back a fist and made to strike at Elijah. Unfortunately, he had predicted her reaction, and brought up a hand to wrap around her own, squeezing it, all traces of amusement gone from his face.

"Did I not warn you last time, darling?" He pulled her closer with an arm around her waist and bent his head until their foreheads were touching. Elena's stomach turned, her mind conjuring an image of them in a grotesque dance. "That there would be retribution if you so much as -"

"Hey!" It was Damon, pulling Elena away from Elijah and insinuating himself between them. "You do not touch her. I don't care what went on between the two of you however long ago, but -"

"Damon," she tried one last time, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Can we please just leave?"

"Oh yes Damon," Elijah mocked, "Of course. It's time for the two of you to leave. Best to not disobey the lovely Elena."

But the pair were already walking away, again. And, again, Elijah had one last comment to make.

"Enjoy her while you can, Mr Salvatore. But just remember, I taught her everything she knows when she's getting you off."

This time, it was Damon who flew back down the alley. Damon who pulled back a fist, and Damon who drove it into the other man's face, presumably breaking his nose, although he remained undeterred. Horrified, Elena watched as Elijah spun him around and pushed him, face first, into the brick wall. He made a motion like he was pulling something out of his pocket, and Elena panicked.

She ran, yet again, down the alleyway, but didn't stop, tackling Elijah and landing with him in a heap on the ground. She didn't stop for a breath before she jumped up, grabbed Damon by the arm, and the pair ran back into the daylight.

"Elena, what the -"

"Sh," she hissed, dragging him into the still-waiting car. She slammed her hand down on the intercom. "Straight home!"

"Elena, who the fuck was that? What the fuck just happened?"

"Oh my God," she mumbled, grabbing his chin and turning his face, examining it.

The left side of his face was unmarred, but the right was banged up. His eyebrow and lip were bleeding, and she surmised that he would probably have a black eye in a few hours.

"Jesus, Damon," she grumbled, pulling tissue out of her purse and dabbing at the blood on his lip. "You should have just waited in the car."

"Who was that?" he persisted, trying to pull away when she moved on to his eyebrow.

"Hold still! God, you're stubborn!"

"Elena!" he shouted, wrapping both hands around her wrists and pinning them together. "Who was that man? And what just happened?"

"No one; he's no one. And nothing happened. Everyone's hormones just got a little out of control, that's all."

"That wasn't a stupid teenage boy pissing match, Elena! The truth! Who is he?"

All of the air seemed to escape from the limo at once, and she felt her head and heart pounding. She gasped for breath.

"Pull the car over," she moaned. "I can't breathe." Damon was looking at her, perplexed, and she slid away from him, to the window. "I can't breathe!" she shrieked.

That seemed to jar him into action. He called to the front, telling Jerry to pull over. As soon as the car stopped, Elena jumped out, realizing that they were at the edge of the Hudson River, at an empty pier.

She walked toward the water, stopping at the edge of the dock, trying to decide just how far she should go with this.

"Elena?" She heard Damon behind her, walking softly, probably scared that she would jump in to escape him.

"Damon, I -" she stopped, turning to face him, aware of the tears streaming down her face.

"What is it? Is it family? Drugs? The mob?" He clearly had only meant that last as a joke, but Elena found it far from funny.

"All three, I guess."

Damon's smile faded as he realized that she was serious.

"Look," she began, taking a deep breath, "Since what I'm about to tell you is going to make you never want to speak to me again, I may as well torpedo our relationship right now." Another deep breath, and then she met his eyes. "I'm in love with you. I know the rules; I know what you said; but I can't help it. That's the way it is. I'm in love with you."

He opened his mouth to say something, but she waved a hand to silence him.

"No, just... You wanted the truth, and I'm actually going to tell you everything. Just, wait until I'm done before you say anything."

He nodded, and she continued.

"A while ago, when Jeremy was really big into the drug scene, he got in with some crime lord named Klaus. Jeremy owed him some money, so Klaus hired him to do some bitch work. I'll skip the little details of it, but it did go on for a while. Until last year, when Jeremy decided that he wanted out. He told Klaus that he would pay him back his money, but that he wanted to get clean. But Klaus didn't like that, so he did two things to make sure that he could hang on to Jer: he sent two men to shake him up, and he sent his brother, Elijah, to me."

"Now, I didn't know at the time that Elijah was Klaus' brother. Hell, I didn't even know about Klaus. We bumped into each other at a coffee shop, and hit it off, I thought. We got really serious, really fast. And in the meantime, Jeremy came to me about his Klaus problem, and together, he and I went to the cops. We didn't want to tell Jenna, so she still has no idea. The police arrested the two guys who beat Jeremy up, but they couldn't pin anyone else. We were scared that they'd send someone else after Jer, but Klaus told Jeremy that if he went to the police again, then he'd send someone after Jenna and I."

"That was when Jeremy's lawyer came up with a stroke of genius. Jeremy confessed to all these terrible things that he'd done, and when it came time for his sentencing, the lawyer pushed for rehab. So Jeremy went into that lock-down facility for a year where he was safe, and we thought it was over."

She stopped then, looking over at Damon, trying to gauge his reaction, but he was just watching her with an expectant expression, clearly waiting for her to continue.

She laughed a little. "This part actually almost has something to do with you. It's why I can't - Why it's taken me so long to -" She sighed. "I love you, and I want you, but I'm just so scared."

"Why?" he asked finally, and she started to cry again, her arms wrapped around her stomach protectively.

* * *

><p><em>It had been a long day of running around for Elena. She had criss-crossed the city, meeting with different sources, interviewing, examining. She loved her job, loved the investigative part of it, but it could be exhausting. She had caught Isobel leaving the editor's darkened office again, wiping her lips and winking at the younger woman. It was disgusting.<em>

_So when she finally crawled out of the elevator and to her apartment, she was pleasantly surprised at the smell of someone cooking._

"_Bonnie?" she called._

"_Not quite," came a voice that made her smile. Elijah popped out of the kitchen, in an apron and oven mitts no less. "She called to say that she would be studying late."_

"_Mm," Elena hummed, dropping her bag on the ground and walking straight into Elijah's waiting arms. "God, this makes every day so much better." She nuzzled into his chest, and smiled when he kissed the top of her head. _

"_Why don't you come see what I'm making for you," he offered, leading her into the kitchen and lifting her up to sit her on the counter next to the stove. "Try this." _

_He held up spoon after spoon for her to taste every dish he was making. He did this every so often; when he wasn't too busy with work, he would cook grand meals for her, and Bonnie sometimes._

"_You're such a show off," she teased, relishing in the taste of the meat sauce that he was preparing._

"_And you, my love, are an extremely messy eater." _

_He leaned forward and kissed her, running his tongue along her bottom lip before pulling back._

"_There, all gone."_

_He smiled at her, and she leaned forward, pulling him closer so that he was standing between her legs. She wrapped her arms his shoulders and kissed him, locking her ankles behind his back so he couldn't go anywhere._

"_Long day?" he asked her in between kisses. _

_She just nodded in response, reaching to move his hands onto her thighs. She felt him smile, and slide her skirt up around her hips. _

"_I want you now," she whispered, ridding him of his apron and reaching down to unbuckle his belt._

_His pants dropped, and she pushed his boxers down as he slid her panties down her legs. Then their eyes met, and he kissed her one last soft kiss before driving into her. She arched back, a cry escaping her lips, her grip on his shoulders tightening. He kissed her neck and thrust, his fingers wrapped around her hips in a bruising hold. _

_She couldn't remember the last time she had been able to wait a whole ten minutes before jumping him like this, but he clearly didn't mind, and she really didn't care._

_He knew her, inside and out. Knew how to make her scream; knew how to make her whimper; knew how to make her fall apart at the slightest touch._

"_Yes, Eli! Right there!"_

_She came, and with a final thrust, he followed her over. _

_Breathing hard, Elena collapsed onto his shoulder, but he pushed her back up so she was leaning back against the cupboard. _

"_Sweetheart," he murmured, and she opened her eyes to meet his. _

_And just as she registered that something was different in his gaze, she felt a sharp pain, a burning in her abdomen. She looked down to see a knife protruding from her belly, but could not figure out how it could have gotten there. Elijah's fingers were wrapped around the handle, and still, she didn't understand. _

_He twisted it, making her scream in agony, and then leaned into her ear and whispered, "This is from my brother, Klaus."_


	14. Decided To Break It

**A/N: F to the YI, I know I'm awesome ;) I just couldn't leave you guys hanging like that. Also, I passed on your appreciation to my bball players about the coffee thing, told them they sort of have an international fanclub. They responded by asking if they could read my stories. And that would be a resounding 'Hellz No Children!'**

**Also, your reviews are just... ah! I can't even start! You are all so amazing for taking the time to leave me these long messages. I love it so much! And now I've got this BlackBerry app that reads my emails out loud, so this is going to be a helluva funny day at work. **

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>"... My <em>God<em>, Elena!" Damon exclaimed when she paused.

It wasn't until then that she noticed she'd been pacing, and so she stopped, planting her feet and facing him.

"I don't really remember anything after that," she continued. "The nurses told me that I had apparently dialled 911 and told them my address before falling off the counter and passing out. They said that I barely survived, and it was so very strange that someone would impale themselves on a knife while cooking."

She let out a soft laugh at the thought before moving on.

"When I woke up, really woke up, Elijah was there. No one would have stopped him, of course, because he was my boyfriend and why wouldn't he be concerned? I just," her voice broke, and she felt tears pooling behind her eyes again. "God, I was so scared. I just sat there and stared, and when I reached for the 'Call' button, he grabbed my hand and pinned it down. He squeezed it so hard that I thought it would break. I asked him what he was doing there, and he told me that, since I had had the good fortune to _not_ die, then I may as well pay back Jeremy's debt, or else he would go after Jenna next."

She heaved a sigh and shook her head softly. It was the first time that she had recounted the full tale to anyone, and she was terrified about how Damon would take it.

"Well, that's it. My whole sordid past. It's why I moved in with you in the first place, and why I've been worried about Jer, and -"

"You should have told me," he said bitterly, frowning at her.

"I – I know. When Jeremy moved in, I should have told you everything, because it was so dangerous and -"

She hadn't been too sure about what to expect from Damon; maybe he would yell at her, or just leave her there, or something to that effect. What she most certainly hadn't expected was for him to take a few determined steps towards her, and drop to his knees at her feet.

"Damon, what are you -?"

He ignored her, choosing instead to pull her blouse out of her skirt and unbutton the bottom.

"Damon, this really isn't the time to -"

Still without meeting her eyes, he opened the blouse to reveal her toned stomach. She gulped as she watched him scan the long pink scar that ran the width of her midsection. Slowly, he ran his thumb along it, and the lightness of his touch made her shiver. And then he leaned forward and placed kisses along the mark from end to end.

Elena was outright crying now, watching him treat her with such tenderness after she'd kept such a dangerous secret for so long. When he was finished, he buttoned her up again and then looked up at her.

"You should have told me," he began softly, "Because I can help you."

And for the first time in as long as Elena could remember, she broke down entirely. She had had her moments here and there when it felt like the world was ending, and there was nothing she could do about it. But not since her parents had died had she been completely paralysed with emotion.

She covered her mouth with her hand just as the sobs began. Through blurry eyes, she watched Damon stand and scoop her up, carrying her back into the car.

* * *

><p>In college, Damon had studied a whole host of mental illnesses. He was quite well-versed in the specifics of things like split-personality disorders and schizophrenia. He also knew from experience that everyone talks to themselves every so often, and generally has a near-constant internal monologue running.<p>

None of that knowledge did anything to prepare him for the amount of voices shouting at him in his head.

"SHE_ LOVES ME!"_

"_She's dangerous..."_

"_SHE _LOVES_ ME!"_

"_... So so fragile..."_

"_SHE LOVES _ME_!"_

"_I can fix this!"_

"_SHE LOVES ME!"_

"_Well, you'll have to be honest with her too now, if you want to build anything..."_

The last voice sounded way too much like Rose for him to be comfortable with.

Listening to Elena's story was an awful experience. She had disappeared while telling it, become lost in memories almost too painful to bear. And every emotion, every instant of fear and terror, had played across her face, making it almost impossible for him to stand calmly before her, for him to not rush over to her and hold her and tell her that everything would be okay.

When the sobs had started, he knew what to do; knew what she needed him to do, but it had still been a shock to see her, normally so strong and stubborn, completely broken like that. For most of the ride home she had remained practically motionless, her fingers twisted into the lapels of his suit jacket, her face pressed against his neck. He could feel her tears running down into the collar of his shirt, and only held her tighter.

Eventually, she had calmed down a little, and slid away from him, across the seat, her hands folded in her lap, hiccoughing every so often.

"I know some people in the DA's office. I'll make a few calls later," he told her quietly.

She frowned in confusion, as though she couldn't understand why he could possibly want to do such a thing.

"Why?" she croaked.

"Well, it'll take some time to build up a sure case, but I figure that if we go after Elijah first -"

Of anything she could have done, he had not anticipated that she dart her hands out and grab his arm, pulling on it. Hard.

"Ow," he complained.

"You can't!" she exclaimed shrilly. Her eyes were wide with panic. "You can't do that! It doesn't work; the system doesn't work, and then they'll just go after you too! They could kill you Damon! Do you understand that?"

"Okay," he conceded softly, although he had already decided that this was not the end of the discussion. "Well then, how much money do you owe them? I can call the bank, and I'll go in tomorrow, and we can just -"

"You can't do that either," she replied, although her voice was much calmer, and she'd released his arm.

"I think you'll find that I can," he retorted. Their eyes met in a silent battle until he sighed. "Fine, look at it this way: I'm buying your debt. You can pay _me_ back instead of them, and I promise not to stab you or roll your brother under any dumpsters. Okay?"

For a moment, she just pursed her lips and watched him suspiciously. Then, slowly, she nodded, slid back to her spot across the seat, and stared at her hands again.

They were quiet for a few minutes while Damon entertained himself with thoughts of how irritated she would be when he refused to accept her money. Then he remembered something, and he almost slapped himself for not addressing it first.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, resolutely staring at the floor of the car.

Elena didn't even ask what he was referring to. She simply turned towards him and nodded.

"You're in love with me?"

Again she nodded, and they were silent for another few minutes.

"That day," he said suddenly, causing Elena to towards him again. "The day of the reunion... What happened with Jessica?"

Her shoulders relaxed and she almost smiled. "She likes playing with people's hair; she says it's relaxing. So she was doing my hair and a bird hit my window, and she rolled under the bed. It was weird. But then -" She stopped abruptly, her face reddening. "Um, when I'd first moved in, I saw you two, through a crack in her door. I saw what you did to get her out, just open the window and talk to her quietly. That's what I did, and she came out. She was fine the rest of the afternoon, if that's what you're wondering."

Damon nodded. "There's, um... Well, there's something I have to show you back home, but I just wanted to know about the Jessica thing. She – She hasn't ever come out for anyone but me, so it was a little strange."

Elena frowned, clearly completely confused as to what that had to do with anything, but she didn't say anything more, and they both fell back into silence.

* * *

><p>When they arrived back home, Damon placed a hand on Elena's lower back and guided her up the stairs and to the left, toward his bedroom. Once he shut the door, he motioned to the bed, and she sat down obediently. Her continuously passive behaviour was slightly off-putting, he found, but he chalked it up to exhaustion. A years worth of drama had happened over the past two hours, and he wouldn't fault her if she decided to curl up and sleep for the next three weeks.<p>

But she couldn't do that, he decided. There was still something he had to say.

He walked over to his bookshelf, and reached to the top. He pulled down a white and gold photo album, blew the dust off, and made his way back over to the bed.

"So," he began, chewing on his bottom lip, "You know that I was married, right?" She nodded. "Okay, well," he flipped the album open, turned a few pages and then handed it to her. She looked at the picture and he could have sworn she almost smirked.

"Damon..." she began, but he cut her off.

On the page that he'd flipped to was a picture of just three people.

"That's me, obviously." He pointed to the figure on the left, himself, at the age of twenty five, smiling like it was the happiest day of his life, which it had been.

"This is Stefan, my brother." His finger dropped onto the person on the right, a handsome young man with light brown hair and green eyes.

"And this," he pointed at the woman between the brothers, "Is Katherine, my ex-wife."

He waited for her reaction. The image of the woman in the photograph was identical to the woman sitting on his bed, with the same olive skin, dark hair and doe eyes.

For a moment, Elena simply stared at the image. Then she slid the album onto the bed, rose, and walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>After all of the stress of the day, Elena was stuck fighting the mad urge to giggle as she made her way to her room, opened a drawer in her desk, removed a file labelled, 'SALVATORE', and then retraced her steps back to Damon's bedroom. She stopped at the top of the stairs, cocked her head to the side, and changed direction, heading for the kitchen instead. She stooped under the sink and pulled out a little first aid kit, and then took some frozen peas from the freezer.<p>

When she finally got back up to Damon's bedroom, the man himself was sitting on the bed, scowling at the wedding album. When she entered the room, he shot to his feet.

"Look, I know I should have said something before, but I just didn't want you to think -"

"Sit down," she ordered. He did, and she handed him the file. "Open it up." Again, he obeyed her.

She snapped open the first aid kit, and began to dab at his eyebrow with an alcohol swab, made all the more difficult by the fact that his was brow furrowing as he examined its contents of the folder.

"I'm good at what I do, Damon. The day you met me I was writing an article about you. I did some research, and then followed it up when I first moved in."

"You knew?" he whispered.

Elena shrugged, flattening out the butterfly bandage over his eye while he fidgeted away from her hands.

"I figured it would keep me safe. You couldn't possibly want me if I look so much like your ex-wife. Look."

She pointed at one page, taking advantage of his distraction to slap the bag of peas over his swollen eye.

"I've got the announcement of your birth. And, for the record, Michelangelo is _such_ a pretentious middle name. Anyways, here's some stuff from when you partied too much in your early twenties, and then your wedding announcement. Here's a picture of your family and Katherine. And that's where it gets a little weird."

She stopped, but he was still flipping through the pages, the peas abandoned next to him. She reached over and held them to his face, rolling her eyes at his stubbornness.

"Out of nowhere, less than a year later, there's an article about your dad passing away, a whole thing about what's going to happen with the firm, and you and Ric taking over. They mention who Ric's dating, but no one says a word about Katherine. A few months later, the girlfriend's started up, but still no Katherine. There's a record with the city of the two of you divorcing, but no one ever mentioned it publicly."

By then, Damon had flipped the folder shut, and looked up at her, finally holding the frozen bag to his own eye.

"Back then," he began, "Katherine and I were a perfect fit, or so I thought. We were both young and selfish and stupid. But..." He paused, seemingly unsure of where to go from there. "Turns out, she and Stefan were in love, or something. I don't even know if either of them could... Anyways, she had only married me because I was older, and when Father passed away, I would inherit the firm, so I was the safer bet. They kept up their secret relationship while she and I were dating, engaged, and married."

Damon smiled bitterly and huffed out a painful laugh. "She'd had a gambling problem. I hadn't known how bad it was until it was too late. Apparently, she had borrowed money from the wrong guy, and he sent some thug to collect it while she was out with Stefan. They killed him, in self-defence they said, but... So then they came up with a plan, and when the loan shark sent two more guys after her, they killed them both as well."

Elena's jaw had dropped at this point. How was it that both of their lives seemed like something out of an episode of Criminal Minds?

"The police figured it out, and when they were arrested, of course, they came to me to bail them out. But I just -" He broke off, and Elena stepped forward, taking his hand. "I couldn't do it; I couldn't help them. There was no one that I loved or trusted more in this world than them, and – The things they hid from me, the things that they did..."

"The DA got a gag order, because of how badly it would reflect on me personally that my wife and brother were involved in this kind of thing. No media outlet could report on it, and when Katherine went to prison, we got a divorce. Rose moved in, and Andie graduated from college and she moved in too. There were a few in between, but then Jessica came in last year, and Caroline right after that. And now there's you."

He looked up at her expectantly, as though awaiting her judgement, but she stayed quiet, staring back at him.

"Jessica," he began in a much different tone, "is my weakness. There's something about her that makes me so protective."

He dropped the peas onto the floor. His eyes narrowed then, and he paled. In fact, he almost looked like he was pain, which was odd, because it seemed as though the most painful revelations of the day were over with.

"And when she got scared, and came out for _you_... I just couldn't hide from it anymore."

"Hide from what?" Elena breathed, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer. Had he been in love with _Jessica_ all this time?

He tugged her hand, and she moved closer, standing between his legs. "The fact that even when you aren't trying, when no one's looking, you are everything that I need. The fact that I would do anything to keep you with me. The fact that I would happily pay any amount of money to any slimy crime lord if it means that you're safe." He somehow managed to pull her even closer, so that she could still make out the blue of his eyes as her own filled, yet again, with tears. "The fact that I'm in love with you."

Elena knew she shouldn't do it. She knew that there were still things to be discussed, aired out. Plans to be set, and information to share. But none of that mattered in the face of what Damon had said.

She cupped his face in both of her hands and leaned forward to kiss him. Their lips met, tongues already probing and exploring. Damon's hands moved to grip her hips, and no matter how many kisses they had shared before, Elena was quite certain that nothing could possibly compare to this.

All too soon, however, her brain switched back on, and she was already kicking herself even before the words had come out of her mouth.

She pulled back and pressed her forehead against his, her breathing ragged. "So, where do we go from here?"

He waggled his eyebrows, and she could feel the bandage move against her skin. "Well, I definitely have a few ideas..." He let that sit, while skimming his fingertips up and down her thigh.

"And I think I'm entirely on board with that," she responded, pulling at his tie.

"Wait!" She stopped, suddenly scared again. "'Entirely'?" he echoed. "Do you mean -"

"Mm hmm," she hummed against his lips, moving on now to slide his blazer from his shoulders.

His hands moved under her blouse, caressing the skin of her waist. And somehow, someway, her typical resistance had been replaced by the overwhelming need to just be with him, in him, on him. She wanted to be the air that he breathed, so she could run rampant through his system and love every atom that made _him_.

Her fingers pulled at the buttons of his dress shirt, but she stopped, frustrated, when she passed his collarbone. Her eyes opened and she leaned back, eyeing him. He looked back at her, confused, his lips swollen both from her kisses and from the cut.

"You know, for someone who apparently wants to have sex with me oh-so-badly, you sure are making this difficult." She twisted a finger into his undershirt, and pulled a little. "And why the hell are you wearing suspenders _and_ a belt? Is there a chastity belt under there too?"

"They're my lucky suspenders," he teased, grabbing her wrists in one hand and tickling her with the other, smiling when she laughed. "And what are you getting all worked up about? We were doing this earlier, and you had no complaints."

"Yeah, well, you had very kindly already removed anything that needed removing. I didn't have to work for it!"

He leaned back, propping himself up on his elbows. "Okay then, let's see you get undressed faster."

She smirked and took a few steps back. "I think you just want to see me strip."

"Well duh!"

She rolled her eyes, and flicked the first button on her top. His eyes never leaving her, Damon sat up properly and followed suit. Slowly, she made her way down her shirt, and allowed the garment to fall from her tiny frame. His eyes darkened as he drank her in, and she did the same, appreciated the way that the undershirt stretched over his abs. She bit her lip and unzipped her skirt, bending over to pull it down her legs. Then she stepped out of it, and her shoes, standing before him in nothing but her matching white lacy lingerie.

"I win," she said huskily, pointing at the pants that he was still wearing.

"Oh, I think I'm definitely winning," he responded in a low voice.

Elena laughed and moved forward, straddling him and gripping his hair, kissing him hard. Again, their mouths opened to each other as though either wanted to crawl inside of the other. Damon reached down to unbuckle his belt and then flopped back, shimmying his pants the rest of the way off. Elena leaned forward, her hair falling in a curtain around them both, and began to kiss down his neck. She could feel him hardening against the core, and nearly moaned at the contact.

They rolled, Damon looming over her, their eyes meeting. They froze for a moment, and he spoke.

"I'm going to hate myself for saying th-Mmmm."

She cut him off by pulling him in for another searing kiss, and she could feel him smile against her lips. Soon enough, he reached behind her, practised fingers finding the clasp of her bra and undoing it, tugging the item from her chest. He gazed at her for another long moment, and then leaned down to pepper her breasts with kisses.

When he took a nipple into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue, she gasped, arching up and holding his head closer.

"Damon," she rasped, her breath hitching when he switched breasts, "I love you."

At that he stopped, pulling back to smile at her.

"I love you," he said back to her. "I want you. I adore you. And right now, I want to worship you."

Her eyebrows rose at the intensity of his statement and his gaze, and she swallowed thickly, watching him with wide eyes as he hooked his fingers inside of her panties and slid them down her legs, throwing them over his shoulder.

She was laying completely bare before him, and suddenly felt self-conscious. Instinctively, she moved to cover her scar, but he grabbed her hand first, intertwining their fingers and looking, really looking, at her, from her head down to her toes.

"You're perfect," he breathed, sounding almost surprised. "Please tell me that someone has told you that before."

She didn't say anything, muted by the passion with which he gazed upon her. He leaned forward and ran his tongue along her scar, making her whimper. Then he went even lower, kissing every inch of skin until he got to her sex. He bent her knees to spread her open wider, and with one long swipe, licked from her entrance to her clit, sucking on it a little.

"Damon," she moaned, but he didn't answer, just kept working her with his mouth. "Damon, not – not now – I just want – Ah!"

She grabbed him by the hair and pulled him all the way back up, widening her eyes into a pleading expression.

"I just really want you inside of me, okay?"

He smiled and kissed her. "Definitely okay."

"Um... You have -?" she whispered awkwardly, but he nodded in understanding.

"Of course."

He rolled onto his back to reach into his nightstand drawer for a condom while she took the opportunity to rid him of his boxers, repaying him the favour by scanning his entire body appreciatively.

"You've seen me naked often enough. No need to ogle."

"I can't help it," she smirked, brushing her lips to his. "I love the view every time."

"You would," he retorted, laying her back down and situating himself between her legs. "Ready?"

She could feel him at her entrance, but she still glared at him. "Stop doing that: Stop checking in with me to make sure I'm okay. I want this; I want you; all of you. So just... Give me all of you already!"

He chuckled a little and without another word, pressed into her. She let out a soft cry and they stared at each other for a long moment before meeting for a languid kiss. Slowly, he pulled back and then thrust back in, filling her perfectly every time. But something was a little off.

Suddenly, she flattened her hands on his chest and pushed until they rolled, so that she was on top, lacing their fingers together and pinning his hands above his head.

"Stop acting like I'm going to break," she whispered, "I'm not going to break."

She rolled her hips, and he hissed, his eyes closing, pressing his head back into the pillow. Releasing one of his hands, she weaved her fingers into his hair and kissed him, while he moved to grip her hips and thrust up into her.

"Yeah," she moaned, moving her hips in time with his.

She pressed her hands to his chest, nails digging in with every thrust. He felt perfect inside of her, like they'd been made to match their entire lives. He sat up suddenly, arms wrapped around her, fingers splayed over her shoulder blades, and kissed along her neck and shoulders, her collarbone, her breasts. She held him close, still moving on him, bouncing faster and faster.

"Damon," she whimpered, "Damon, I'm so – Ah! I'm so -"

She had her head thrown back, her fingers gripping his shoulders and neck so she wouldn't just fall of the face of the planet. He licked along her shoulder up to her ear, and murmured, "I love you," and with an irrepressible shout, she was gone.

* * *

><p>It took a few minutes before Elena could peel herself off of Damon and tuck herself in under his arm. He swung the comforter over both of them, and Elena couldn't imagine ever wanting to leave the bed. He was laying on his side, pressing his lips to her arm, his fingers dancing over her stomach.<p>

"I've made a lifestyle decision," he announced to her.

"Oh yeah?" She turned her head to face him. "And that would be...?"

He grinned at her. "I'm never going to stop kissing you. We're just going to have to drift through life attached at the hip so that I can keep kissing you forever."

She giggled and looked back up at the ceiling, bringing her hand to join Damon's over her midsection. "What if I have to pee, or something equally private?"

He shrugged. "I can deal with that. What could you possibly have to -whoa my GOD JEREMY!"

Elena stiffened and looked over at him, frowning. "Please tell me that you weren't thinking of my brother while you were making love to me. Because really, that might ruin the whole -"

"He's at the hospital!" Damon blurted, eyes wide. "He's there unprotected! What if Elijah -"

With a small smile, she stroked the side of his face with her knuckles. "He's fine, Damon."

"Well, forgive my concern, but not an hour and a half ago you were having a nervous breakdown in my car about it."

"Look," Elena began matter-of-factly, "The nurses in these hospitals are like freaking ninjas or something. When I was in the hospital, Jenna came to bring me a book, and they wouldn't let her through unless it was visiting hours. So Jeremy is safe for another," she squinted over him at his alarm clock, "Almost four hours."

Damon's eyes narrowed. "You're sure?"

With a sigh, she rolled onto her side so they were nose to nose. "Do you really think that I would sacrifice my brother's safety just to lounge in bed with you?"

"Well," he began with a wink, "You wouldn't be the first." She slapped him on the arm, and his expression changed. "But you aren't like anyone I've ever known before, so I guess the rules are different for you."

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. "I love you," he whispered, kissing her again.

She smiled and rolled onto her back once more. "What do we do now?"

"Round two?" Damon suggested.

"Okay," Elena laughed, "But I meant after that."

"Round three?"

"Seriously."

Damon rolled onto his back as well and pulled her closer, so that her head was resting on his chest. "What do normal people do?"

"Well," she drawled, tracing patterns on his abs with her fingers, "They meet, fall in love, move in together, get married, have babies, etc. Although I think the order's a little different based on geographic location."

"Hm... So no extra girlfriends?"

"Not normally, no."

"And no mob hit-men?"

"Nope."

"No criminal ex-wives and brothers?"

"Sometimes, maybe. But it's rare."

"Then I think," he pushed her onto her back and hovered over her, "That we should just go with round two, and figure out the rest later."

Elena smiled. "Agreed."

* * *

><p><strong>AN2: Go to the Peoples Choice website and nominate Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley for fave actressactor - Drama. They were sadly overlooked. And while you're there, vote for Ian Somerhalder :) You know you wannnnnna ;) (Good Lord, am I ever obnoxious today!) **


	15. Starlit Chandelier

**A/N: I realize this is both late and short, but it's the best I could do. It's a little bit of a transition, so it may be a little slower than the most recent chapters. Please note, I'm looking at about 20 chapters for this one, so we are getting a little close to the end. :(**

**Funny story: I'm on day 3 of a basketball tournament with my high school team. We were in the divisional semi-finals two hours ago, and I told them that if we won, I would read them this fic. They've been bugging me to let them read my stuff for the past two weeks, and, I mean, hello inappropriate sex scenes! So I'm waiting for them to come down so I can read to them, and fudge some of the more graphic bits. **

**So, hope you enjoy. I should be getting the next chapter out a little swifter than this one, but no promises. **

**Please review! You guys are wonderful and thorough reviewers and make my day :)**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>After an afternoon of sex, and a shower, and sex in the shower, and finally managing to wash herself properly, and find the strength inside to tear herself away from Damon long enough to go back to her room and get dressed properly, Elena noticed something in the mirror behind her door.<p>

She was glowing.

She didn't look stressed or scared; uncomfortable or unsure. No, she looked happy, peaceful even.

And in a moment of girly giddiness such as she hadn't known in a long time, she smiled so widely she thought her face might crack, hugged her arms around herself, and spun on one foot. Then she hopped a couple of times, took a deep breath, schooled her features into 'Grown-Up Face', and opened the door.

"Ah!" she screamed, her hand coming up to clutch at her heart as she mock-scowled at the man before her. "God, you scared me!"

Damon only smirked before stepping into her personal bubble and lowering his face to hers, stopping just short of her lips.

"I can think of much better ways to get your heart racing..."

She pressed her hands to his chest to hold him at bay, walking him backwards while he continued to push towards her. "No no no no... We have supper -" He kissed her. "And – and the hospital -" Another kiss. "And if Caroline has to witness -"

She gave up, wrapping her arms around his neck as he pressed her back into the wall. She could feel him smiling, and it filled her with an elation so strong, she thought that she would burst with it. His hands rested on her hips, holding her as the length of his body covered hers.

When they pulled back to breathe, she attempted a scolding look.

"We really do need to be productive -"

He kissed her again. "This could be the epitome of productive."

"Not that kind of productive," she deadpanned. "On the count of three..."

"One," he murmured into her mouth.

"Two," she whimpered.

"Three," he announced, taking a big step back and raising his hands in the air. "See, that wasn't so bad."

"Mm hmm," she hummed, cocking an eyebrow at him and leading him down the stairs. "What do you think about ordering in some -"

She stopped short, causing Damon to bump into her in surprise. His hands snaked around her waist and he nuzzled into her hair.

"Well, if you wanted to -"

"Damon, look," she whispered, pointing toward the middle of the foyer.

Jessica was there, laying on the ground with her legs bent at the knees, reading an old paperback novel, as though it were the most normal thing in the world. And the sad thing was that it was the most normal thing she had done in a while.

In a rapid reversal of behaviour, Damon was kneeling at her side, glancing quickly over at Elena before turning his gaze back to the woman on the floor.

"Jessica," he began quietly.

"Yes?" she answered, her eyes still glued to the book.

"What are you doing?"

"Reading." She was silent again, then closed the book on her finger and turned her head to the side to face him. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, her eyes jumping from his eye to his swollen lip, and back. She shook her head.

"The doctor was by earlier. He said that I should find a focal point in each room so that if I get anxious, I can focus on it and be more comfortable." Then she tilted her head back to look at the brunette. "Hey Elena!" she exclaimed, waving the book in her direction.

"Hey," the reporter answered, smiling. She turned to Damon. "Are you gonna go order dinner? I was feeling Mexican for tonight, but that's just me."

"Oh! Me too!" Jessica added before grabbing Elena's hand and tugging it. "Why don't you go do that, and Elena and I will wait here."

Damon looked a little uncomfortable at first, but nodded, moving so that the two women could lay down next to each other. When he'd disappeared into the kitchen, Elena spoke.

"So what's your focal point?"

"The chandelier," Jessica sighed, pointing upward. "It's kind of like the stars, I guess. I used to stargaze a lot at my old job."

"Oh!" Elena blurted, surprised. Jessica had never once mentioned anything about her life before moving in with Damon. But she didn't get a chance to ask any questions before the other woman spoke again.

"And I wanted to find a room where I wasn't encroaching on your privacy with Damon." She turned her head, meeting Elena's eyes, and raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Elena blushed, unable to hold back a smile "I'm sorry about that. I guess we were a little carried away."

"No," Jessica said, looking back up to the ceiling. "I'm happy for you two. He really loves you, and you really love him. It's really beautiful, actually, and there aren't enough beautiful things in this world."

Just then, the elevator bell rang, and the doors opened to reveal Caroline, purse swinging from one arm, coffee and scripts balancing precariously on the other. She stopped abruptly at the sight of her two housemates on the floor.

"Um... Hey guys... What's going on?" she asked tentatively.

"Stargazing," Elena responded as Jessica patted the spot next to herself. "Why don't you join us?"

She did, and the three of them spent some time either chatting idly, or drifting off into pensive silence. Elena was extremely glad that Jessica hadn't announced to Caroline the change in relationship between herself and Damon, as she herself didn't know exactly what was going to happen now that they'd taken things to another level.

Another bell, and this time it was Rose who strolled in. To her credit, she didn't look the least bit surprised to find the other three women where they were, and quickly joined them, laying down next to Elena. The four of them lay there for what felt like hours until Damon broke in.

"Hey, so the food'll be here soon, and I'm just going to- Whoa!" His eyes widened as he scanned his four girlfriend's, finally choosing to stare significantly at Elena. "Okay, so I'm going downstairs to get the food."

"Why can't they just come up here?" Caroline enquired.

Damon shrugged, his eyes still on Elena. "New security regulations. If you guys have visitors, you have to meet them downstairs and clear them through the front desk personally. No more buzzing them in, or calling down to send them up."

With that, he waltzed past them. Elena's heart rate was skyrocketing. She'd had a lovely afternoon of forgetting all of the drama that was her life, but the look in Damon's eyes told her that he had orchestrated the tightening of security. Part of her was extremely grateful to him for taking the initiative on that without divulging her secrets to everyone else; but another part of her exhausted from dealing with all of it. She wondered if that feeling would ever fade, no matter how many precautions she took.

* * *

><p>Caroline sat at the dinner table, wondering if she'd suddenly been dropped in an alternate universe. To begin with, Jessica joined them for the meal, although she spent most of her time chewing her lip and staring out the window above the sink.<p>

Also, Jeremy was conspicuously absent. Elena had informed them all of his trip to the hospital following his work accident, but it was still off-putting. He was usually a boisterous and joyful presence around the dinner table, eating just about anything in sight, and entertaining them all with stories and jokes.

Adding to that was the combined behaviour of both Damon and Elena. Everyone knew that the pair were getting closer, especially since the reunion a few weeks before. But based on their scheduled progress up to that point, they still had at least another month before any other milestone were to be reached.

Evidently, her calculations were incorrect.

First, were the loving gazes between the two. They may as well have announced their nuptials for all the subtlety they had going on. Between Damon's secret smirks, and Elena's shy blushes, Caroline thought she would develop a cavity or ten just from observing the goings-on.

Add to that the feet that kept grazing hers by accident en route to someone else's, and Damon's awkward snorts every time Elena said something evening remotely funny, and Caroline was ninety nine percent certain something had happened.

And then, both Damon and Elena reached for a container in the middle of the table, and their fingers brushed. Caroline watched with calculating eyes as Damon's finger stroked Elena's, and the latter let out a small sigh.

That. Was. Enough. Ofthisbullshit.

"Okay, so, are you going to have round two on the table, or wait until you can make it upstairs?"

Two arms retracted almost as fast as the speed of light, knocking over glasses in their haste to return to their owners.

"Wh-What?" Elena giggled nervously, just as Damon muttered, "Round four, actually."

"Oh _come on!_" the blonde drawled. "You guys are having eye-sex all over the place. I assume it was good then?"

"Sure sounded good," Jessica muttered, smirking at her plate.

"Oh my God..." Elena groaned, burying her red face in her hands.

Damon was looking at Rose for support, but all he got was a wink.

"Okay!" he finally said, standing up. "Elena, we should probably head back to the hospital... Visiting hours soon."

"Right, yeah, sounds good."

She hopped up, and all but jumped into Damon's arms, to a chorus of 'Damon and Elena, sitting in a tree..."

* * *

><p>On the way to the hospital, Damon forced himself to ask a question he really didn't want to ask: What would happen if Elijah showed up? Elena's standard answer of, "I'll handle it," just didn't cut it, but she became irrationally irate when he suggested that he speak to the man.<p>

"I don't want you anywhere near him," she growled, the nails of one hand digging into his thigh, the fingertips from the other grazing his injured face. "You're incapable of restraining yourself, and he's capable of much worse."

Then she leaned forward, and lightly pressed her lips to his, and he considered the matter closed.

When they arrived at the hospital, Jenna was already there, Ric at her side. She pulled Elena into her arms the moment they saw each other, and then the sisters moved, together, into Jeremy's room, presumably to engulf him into their family hug.

"Nice face," Ric quipped when they were alone.

The other man winked. "I've always said so."

"Seriously man, what happened?"

Damon thought about what to tell him, deciding not to divulge Elena's secret. "Mugger. Didn't get very far, but he managed to land a hit or two."

Ric seemed to accept that, and the two fell into a temporary silence before discussing work. They'd moved down the hall to the waiting area near the elevators, Damon surreptitiously eyeing the room for any sign of his former assailant.

And he was not disappointed.

"Shit," he muttered, standing immediately and making a beeline for Elijah the moment the other man appeared in his field of vision. Dimly, he registered Ric following him, but he couldn't spare the thought, as focused as he was on keeping the disturbingly calm man from Elena.

No; disturbingly calm was an inaccurate description. Elijah seemed borderline happy as he made for Jeremy's room.

"What, do you feed on fear and pain?" Damon snapped, intercepting him.

Elijah's dark eyes scanned the lawyer's face, and his lips quirked. "I'm only human, Mr. Salvatore. I believe I feed off of the very same things that you do."

Damon didn't answer, and they stood in tense silence until Ric spoke, jolting them both.

"Who is this guy?"

"Ah," Elijah said by way of answer, extending his hand. "And this must be Mr. Saltzman. An honour, I'm sure. Jenna's boyfriend, I believe." He met Ric's eyes, but when the lawyer didn't shake his hand, he retracted it.

Feeling an acute sympathy for Elena's efforts to keep everyone and their dog away from Elijah, Damon shouldered his colleague out of dodge, placing himself between the two men.

"Leave now, Elijah," Damon hissed, his blue eyes flashing. His protective instincts were on red alert, and he forgot to care that Ric was behind him, listening to every word he said. "I'm not Elena; you can't seduce me and try to kill me."

"What?" he heard Ric whisper, but the three of them were interrupted when Damon felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned his head, keeping Elijah in sight as his eyes met Elena's.

"Go see Jeremy," she said quietly.

"But -"

"Go. See. Jeremy," she repeated, her tone stern, a soft smile on her face.

He looked back to Elijah one last time, and then turned on his heel and strode over to the seat furthest from his girlfriend and dropped into it, Ric following him again.

"Who is that?" his friend asked in an undertone.

"Elena's ex-boyfriend," he answered, still watching the pair.

The two men watched as Elijah nodded in Damon's direction, and Elena grabbed him by the lapels, turning them so they switched sides. She brought her hands back down to her hips, one leg straight, leaning back on the other defensively. They spoke, Elena's calm expression never changing until finally, she took hold of both of Elijah's hands and stepped closer to him.

Ric cocked an eyebrow, looking over at Damon, but they remained silent.

She had her head cocked to the side, smiling a little, though her eyes were narrowed. Neither of them appeared to be saying anything, until finally Elijah shrugged, stepping back but leaning towards her, murmuring something that caused her shoulders to relax, her eyes to brighten, and a genuine smile to spread across her face. Then he pulled his hands back, straightened up, and brushed past her, not sparing another backward glance as he stepped into the elevator and disappeared.

* * *

><p>"What did you say to Elijah?" Damon asked Elena when they'd gotten home, after biting his tongue for the whole day.<p>

"Just that Klaus would have all of his money back at the end of the week, and to leave us all alone. He agreed; it's all fine."

The lawyer stopped, his foot freezing on the first step up to the bedrooms, and she turned toward him from two stairs up, a determined look on her face.

"Okay, well, I'm sorry if I'm not entirely trusting of that, since your solutions tend to involve you getting into more trouble than anyone else is worth."

At that, she deflated, stepping down until she had her arms wrapped around his neck, her face tucked into the crook of his shoulder.

"He said that the money took care of Jeremy and I, but not you," she murmured against his skin. "I told him that if he'd ever cared about me, even for a minute, then he'd leave you alone. He agreed, but so long as you kept the same bargain. I promise, that's all of it."

He nodded into her hair, holding her close, and they stood there together for a few minutes.

"Okay," he finally said out loud, pulling back and grabbing her hand, leading her up the stairs.

At the top, she froze, her eyes sliding from her bedroom door, down the hall towards Damon's. He sighed dramatically.

"You're shitting me," he finally teased, pulling her to the left toward him. "Sex all afternoon, but she won't sleep in my bed," he muttered.

She slapped him on the arm, laughing. "I wasn't resisting, I just didn't know if you wanted -"

He spun, pressing her against the wall and capturing her lips with his own.

"That was a stupid assumption," he breathed into her mouth as she squirmed against him.

"My bad," she smirked, leaning back in to kiss him again.

They remained locked together, unaware of when or where or who until Damon felt a tap on his shoulder. He pulled his tongue back into his own mouth abruptly, pulling back and grinning at the bemused look on Elena's face.

"Just a few feet down," Rose pointed out to the couple, "There's a bedroom. Use that."

Blushing, Elena ducked her head and jogged away from the others, back to her own room.

"Thanks," Damon deadpanned. "She's like a fucking deer, I swear. You startled her, and now -"

He broke off when Elena reappeared, pyjamas tucked under her arm.

"That's the second time you've done that to me today," he chastised her, kissing her on the forehead and ignoring the way Rose rolled her eyes.

"Good night," the older woman said pointedly, making her way to her own bedroom.

Elena reached to knit her fingers into Damon's hair, smiling.

"Good night."


	16. Down

**A/N: I won't delay you any longer, since I'm oh-so late on this, so point form!**

**- late; sorry**

**- if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I've been DYING of writers block**

**- really short; split it so next will be pretty long**

**- check out my one-shot series (posted to work through writer's block) Want. Take. Have.**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>It wasn't until after Damon and Elena had become exclusive (much to the excitement and relief of the other occupants of the penthouse) that she noticed just how often he had to travel for work. It really wasn't more than a few days every couple of weeks, but still... She missed falling asleep with him, waking up with him, driving to and from work with him, meeting him for lunch...<p>

The first time he left after she had effectively moved into his room was also the first night that she slept in her own bed again. And the last for a long while. Damon's flight landed in the wee hours of the morning, and when Elena woke lightly at four, she was curled in his arms, being carried down the hall toward his room, where he tucked her in. She dozed off again, only moving to pull Damon's arms tighter around her when he crawled under the covers.

"What do I have to do," he whispered dozily into her ear, "To convince you that this is where you belong?"

* * *

><p>And it was a few weeks later still when Damon was waiting in the car for Elena to come down from her office and head home. He flipped his cell anxiously, nervous about the conversation that he was about to initiate.<p>

He dropped the phone and bent to pick it up, when the door opened, and something recognizably flowery landed on his head. He sat up quickly, reaching behind him to pull the bouquet from between him and the seat, huffing out a sigh and watching as Elena clambered in and glared at him.

"Didn't like the flowers?" he quipped.

She took a seat as far away from him as she could manage, and when she spoke, she sounded practically venomous. "I never like the flowers, Damon. I only ever get them when you're trying to do something that I don't like." She paused, scowling at him as the car moved forward. "Like back when you were trying to woo me, or now when you're buttering me up to talk about Elijah and Klaus."

He put both hands in the air. "You got me. But it's something that we need to discuss, Elena. They're still out there, and I know that you _said_ that you and Elijah had a deal, but I don't trust him."

Elena shook her head sadly, her eyes closed. She took a deep breath before opening them and meeting his gaze. "And what exactly would you propose, anyway? You want to go all vigilante to protect my honour. Or are you still thinking about going after them in court?"

"Don't mock this," he growled, frustrated with her stubbornness. "They hurt Jeremy; they hurt _you_; and they could still do it again! These types of people don't just stop because you batted your eyelashes and tugged a few heartstrings! I mean," he huffed out a tense breath and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sure that you've always been able to get any man to do anything if you look at him right, but -"

"Oh no! Don't do that! That's not what I did." He raised his eyebrows at her, and watched as she flushed. "Okay, so that's a little bit of what I did. But it worked! We haven't seen or heard from them since we paid them off. And speaking of, you still haven't cashed any of my cheques to pay you back."

She had her arms crossed over her chest, and he reached out, giving her a little half smile as he pulled her toward him and settled her in his lap. "I seem to have lost them."

"All?" she answered, cocking an eyebrow even as his fingers began to draw circles against her waist.

"Yep," he murmured, looking up at her from under heavy lids.

"Damon," she whined, although she didn't move away when he pressed his lips to her throat. "Why won't you let me pay you back?"

"It's a gift," he whispered into her skin.

She stiffened, and he pulled away, unsure of what exactly he had said or done wrong.

"A gift? Are you ever going to stop trying to buy my affections?" She was fidgeting, edging her way back onto her own seat.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, reaching up to cup her face and keep her in his lap. "Not a gift to you." She stopped moving and looked at him with calculating eyes. He tilted her forward a little and pressed their foreheads together. "A gift to me. If anything happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself. I would just keep going over everything, wondering if there was something I could have done different, better. If you really want to pay me back, help me take them down."

He stared at her, watching as she took in everything that he said. She was focused on a spot on the seat behind him until finally she exhaled and crumpled. Her arms snaked around his neck and she nuzzled into his shoulder.

"I just don't even want to think about it anymore, Damon. It just all makes me sick."

* * *

><p>And indeed it did. Not a week later, Damon arrived home in a bother, looking much more flustered than the situation warranted, although it amused Jessica to no end.<p>

She had been coming out of the kitchen with a tray of soup and crackers, and a mug full of a very miserable smelling liquid, when Damon hopped out of the elevator, dropped his bag and coat on the couch, made it to the stairs, spun, went back to grab his bag, and then turned again, nearly toppling Jessica over.

"Sorry," he grunted, fidgeting. "How is she?" He nodded toward the stairs.

The now ex-girlfriend shrugged. "She says she gets sick like this twice a year, but it's still pretty gross."

"Here," Damon mumbled, dropping his bag again, and plucking the tray from Jessica's hands. "I can take over for a bit if you want."

She sighed and relinquished her hold on the tray. " I know that you wouldn't give me a choice either way."

"Damn straight," he muttered as they climbed the stairs together. He winced as a whiff of whatever was in the mug wafted toward him. "What the hell is in this?"

"Secret recipe I picked up while I was working in South America. Cures everything, I promise," she answered quietly, seemingly unaware of the bombshell she had just dropped.

Damon, however, was completely aware.

"South America?" he asked. She nodded, but offered no further information. "And what exactly were you doing in South America?"

She had never spoken to him about her life _before_. He had met her through a psychologist friend of his, and had been waiting years for her to open up.

Disappointingly, she only shrugged.

"Work." And she left it at that.

When they reached the top, Damon turned to head toward Elena's room, but he paused when Jessica placed a soft hand on his shoulder. He gave her a questioning look, and she smiled in response.

"This might sound a little awkward, given our history, but..." She hesitated, chewing her lip, before lightly wrapping her arms around him without jostling the tray. "I kind of wish my brothers had been more like you. You're a really great person."

"Thanks," he whispered into her hair.

She shrugged again and headed, predictably, back to her own bedroom. Damon continued on his way, toeing open Elena's door and sliding in quietly. He nearly chuckled when he spotted her, lying on the bed, a pillow placed delicately over her face.

"I can hear you almost laugh, Damon," she croaked, putting the pillow back behind her head. "I'm dying," she pouted.

"You are not," he snickered, sitting lightly on the bed next to her and placing the tray over her lap. He reached over and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead and frowned. "But your fever's a lot worse. Do you need anything? I can call the doctor to come in."

She shook her head, scrunching her nose at the soup and placing it on her nightstand before grabbing the mug and pulling a face.

"I get the flu like this all the time; the week I met you, in fact. I'm just being whiny."

He nodded, then snapped his head up as a terrifying thought occurred to him.

"You're not -" She looked at him, swallowing from the mug in her hands. "I mean, you're not sick because -"

She snorted. "I'm not pregnant."

"Oh thank God!" he exclaimed. Off her shocked expression, he attempted to backtrack. "I mean, not that we wouldn't make great kids together... We – We could -"

He was saved from digging himself a deeper hole when she laughed out loud.

"Damon! I don't want to get pregnant! I mean, I'd love to have a family _someday_, but definitely not now."

"But with me?" he wheedled.

She rolled her eyes and flopped back into her pillows, her lids fluttering shut.

"I'm too tired for this conversation."

He smiled lightly and leaned over to kiss her warm forehead. "Okay then. Did you want to watch a movie? Or just sleep? I could just grab my laptop and -"

"Damon," she whispered sleepily, "What are you doing?"

He made a distinctly disappointed face, which she didn't see.

"Whatever you want."

"Don't you have that," she paused to yawn, "Thing tonight? That bachelor party that you and Ric are going to?"

"So?"

She cracked an eye open and glowered at him with as much energy as she could muster. Which really wasn't much.

"You are not missing the bachelor party to stay here with me while I vomit. Go. Get ready. I guarantee that I won't run away while you're gone."

"But -"

Her eyelids had drooped shut again, and she rolled over, turning her back to him, facing the bucket next to her bed.

"Goodnight, Damon," she said with an exhausted certainty.

With a sigh, he placed one last kiss in her hair, and then left.

* * *

><p>Raucous laughter filled the air as Damon struggled in vain against the alcohol soaking his senses. The man of the hour, a lawyer with the DA's office, was seated next to him, rambling on about how they were supposed to be working with law enforcement to crack down on organized crime.<p>

But between the strippers and Ric's constant challenges of, 'ARM WRESTLING! DO IT OR YOU'RE GAY!', the blue-eyed man was having more than a little trouble focusing.

That, and the fact that the entire topic made Damon grate his teeth together in helpless frustration.

"... It's just trying to get witnesses to come forward, y'know?" Billy repeated soggily for the umpteenth time, slumped on the table over his bottle of beer.

"Yeah... I know," his companion answered distractedly, watching as Alaric lost, again, to yet another burly police officer.

"AND THEN," Dick yelled from across the table, "AND THEN THE PRIEST SAID -"

But before the punchline came out, the air, and the sound waves held within, were all sucked from the room.

From across the bar, blue eyes met menacing black, and Elijah tipped his head to Damon in a symbol of truce. Damon nodded back.

But not a breath later, he turned to Billy at his side, hauled him upright by his shoulder, and stared at him, hard.

"What if I could get you witnesses?"

The other lawyer frowned, and began stuttering a confused answer, but Damon interrupted him.

"Have you ever heard of a man named Klaus?"


	17. Your Cooperation Is Appreciated

**A/N: So, a couple of things that came up repeatedly in reviews;**

**a) I keep slyly putting things in to show that Elena is not pregnant.**

**b) If there was any confusion regarding the legal aspect of what's going on, please let me know and I can try to clarify it as much as possible.**

**Thanks for your wonderful reviews! I love getting them and answering them! We're ramping up to the end now, although there will most likely be 21 chapters rather than the projected 20.**

**Enjoy!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>Damon awoke painfully the next morning. Every sound sent hot pokers through his swollen brain; his stomach turned as he registered the different smells, coffee and toast, wafting near him; he burrowed further into his pillows in an effort to block out the light that was permeating his tightly closed eyelids.<p>

"Fuck..." he groaned.

"Happy morning?" he heard Elena tease from somewhere to his right.

With herculean effort, he picked his head up and turned to face her. A dim sense of relief flooded through him when he saw her lips pulled back in a smile, her cheeks full of colour again.

"You're better," he rasped. "How long was I asleep?"

She reached over to lightly run her fingers through his hair, and he collapsed again, comforted by the familiar pillows and the soothing motion.

"You weren't asleep; you were unconscious. And it's only been about nine hours. Jessica's miracle cure for me worked... like a miracle."

"How did I get home?"

At that, she laughed. "Jerry and Jeremy had to carry you up. Ric tried to help, but he just ended up making a mess in the elevator. They brought you here, into your _own_ bed, but then, somehow, you managed to crawl down the hall to my room. I went and got Jeremy out of bed, again, and we brought you here."

She stopped her movement for a moment, tapped her fingers lightly against his skull, before continuing.

"By the way, I'm pretty sure Jeremy wants to kill you a little. Between you and Ric, he had to bathe three times within an hour."

Damon grunted back but otherwise remained motionless, almost purring as she stroked his scalp. All too soon, however, she pulled her hand back, and he felt her breath in his ear.

"I'm gonna go shower. I'll bring you back some aspirin in a few minutes, 'k?"

He held completely still until he felt her climb out of his bed and pad away.

He didn't need aspirin; somehow, at some point, Elena Gilbert became his only cure for a hangover. He stumbled quietly into the bathroom, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his bare chest, watching through the plate glass as the water ran in rivulets down his girlfriend's tan body.

_His_ girlfriend. Singular. And damn, that felt good.

She turned her face up into the stream, pulling one hand through her hair, pressing the other against the glass. She turned a little; he could see drops running paths down her spine. He licked his lips, tugging on the waistband of his boxers, tipping his head back momentarily.

"Damon," he heard her moan, and he glanced back down. She had the shower door slid open, and was leaning against it, eyeing him up and down. "Are you gonna come in here, or just keep staring at me like a creeper?"

He didn't need to be asked twice. In a heartbeat, he was under the spray of the shower, his wet skin slipping against hers. She didn't waste any time before wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing herself into him, peppering his neck and shoulders with kisses.

"I hate it when you're sick," he grumbled.

"It was only a couple of days," she giggled, reaching down to stroke his hardened member.

With a growl he had her pushed against the shower wall. "Too long," he said breathlessly.

She smiled mischievously and continued stroking him, humming as he sucked on her earlobe.

"What happened to your hangover?"

"I'm all better now," he grinned, moving back and turning her so she was facing the wall.

With his knee between her legs, he spread her open. She arched her back in anticipation, reaching around to grip his hair and bring him closer as he covered her other hand against the shower wall. They moved together, in perfect synchronicity, and then he was inside of her.

It had only been days, but it felt like years for Damon. When Elena gasped in pleasure at the penetration, he assumed that she felt the same way and smirked, taking her chin and turning her face toward his, kissing her hard.

He pulled back and then pushed in again, and she whimpered into his mouth.

"Shouldn't I be wearing a -"

"It's fine," she breathed against his lips, her eyes closed, her hips moving back against him. "I'm on the pill; it's good."

That was enough for him. He continued plundering her mouth with his tongue, moving faster and harder inside of her, until she was crying out with every stroke. He moved his lips down her jaw, pushing her hair to the side to continue his ministrations on the back of her neck. Suddenly, her hand snapped out of his hair, slapping against the wall as her fingers tried desperately to find something to hold onto.

She felt glorious; warm and tight and _home_. He knew she was close; could feel it in the way her body moved and her voice escaped her throat. Her breathing was ragged, and just knowing that he could make her feel this way, every time, was enough to push him perilously close to the edge. With his free hand, he gripped her hip, bracing her as he thrust deeper, desperate to fill her completely. It would only be moments now...

"Ah! Mm – Gah! Damon!" Her exclamation died in a keening sound as she twitched uncontrollably against him, pulsating around his member until he couldn't hold back anymore and came with her name on his lips and in his mind and through his heart. He fell forward a little, pressing her tighter against the wall as pleasure wracked his body.

Somehow, she managed to turn, pulling him closer and working her mouth against his. Their fingers twined as they embraced lazily, the steam from the hot shower making them slow and sure in their affectionate touches.

Eventually, though, Elena pulled away, leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed, a smile of contentment on her face. She sighed and Damon grinned, loving that he was able to put that look on her face.

"I'm, uh," she began hazily, "I'm gonna get out, get ready. Are you coming?"

She moved forward, tugging his hand.

"I think I'll stay here for a few minutes. Actually wash up."

He winked and she nodded, sauntering out of the shower and out of sight.

Damon stayed for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of the water pounding onto his back, until all that was left of his latent hangover was the foggy headed feeling. Elena had effectively cured him of his headache and fatigue, and the warmth from the shower had done away with the upset stomach.

He stepped out onto the cool tile floor, grabbing a towel and ruffling it through his hair as he padded into the bedroom proper...

Where Elena was laying on the bed, naked, reading the newspaper. She peeked at him, eyebrows raised in challenge, eyes darkened with lust.

Eyes darkened... Dark eyes... A challenge.

_Oh. Fuck._

All of the fogginess cleared from Damon's mind as his eyes widened and he abruptly dropped the towel.

He clearly remembered his conversation from the night before. Seeing Elijah. Hating this forced peace they had. Telling Billy all about the Klaus situation, and almost begging him to do something about it. A few detectives getting in on the conversation, and coming up with a plan. Ric on the phone with Jenna, muttering almost incoherently about mobsters and the two younger Gilbert's.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fu-_

"Damon?"

Elena's voice shattered the ice that had frozen his brain, and he blinked, realizing that she was standing in front of him, a hand pressed to his forehead, the other cupping his cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

_Oh Jesus Christ, she's gonna kill me!_

He didn't answer, simply scanned the room, his gaze landing on his pants from the night before. He jumped on the them, yanking out his cell phone, dialling it before he even realized what he was doing.

"Damon, what are you -?"

"BILLY!" he shouted into the handset. Relief washed over him; he could still fix this. It was Saturday after all; and they were all so drunk that everyone else had probably forgotten -

"_Hey man,_" croaked the lawyer. Elena was hovering, trying to catch Damon's eyes, but he continued to pace, staring resolutely at the floor. "_Look, about last night, I've already managed to get a few calls in. Turns out, there was already an investigation a while back about this Klaus guy, but they hit a dead end. If you could get -_"

"Fuck," Damon muttered. "Look, Billy, forget about it. I was all fucked up last night; just forget I said anything."

"_Well, it's a little late for -_"

"I don't care! Pull in every favour you can, but undo whatever it is you've done!"

Elena had caught him at this point, grabbing his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes.

"_I can't, Damon. You know that. The ball's rolling, and it isn't just about you anyway. It's public safety and all that crap._"

Curses in more languages than he could fluently speak were chorusing in Damon's mind.

"My girlfriend is going to disembowel me," he said slowly, staring hard into Elena's eyes, trying to warn her about what he was going to have to tell her. "You have to do something; it was a mistake," he finished, his voice cracking pitifully.

"_Sorry; my hands are tied. I'll give you a call on Monday and we can set up a minute to talk about your involvement_."

"Don't bother," Damon sighed. "I'll be dead already."

He heard an awkward chuckle, and then the call ended.

The silence was deafening as the couple stared at each other, both completely naked, standing in the middle of the bedroom. After a few tense moments, Elena stepped back, stooping to grab his discarded towel from the floor and wrapping it around herself protectively.

"Did you sleep with someone?" she asked slowly, carefully.

Damon almost laughed, but it came out as a sort of strained whimper.

"No; I did not sleep with anyone. It's actually quite a bit worse than that."

"Okay," she said flatly. For a few seconds, Damon watched as she did nothing, then nodded to herself, and looked back up at him. "Did you pick up a new girlfriend?"

"What?" he exclaimed. "No I did not- It's not like going shopping!" he spluttered indignantly. "And I wouldn't even – Not anymore – Not with you!"

"Well then," she snapped, sliding over to stand in front of the bed. "What is it? What did you do that's so awful."

Damon swallowed down the bile that threatened to expel itself from his oesophagus.

"I – Well it's a bit of a long story, but the gist of it is... I sort of kick-started an investigation. Into Klaus."

Her eyes narrowed and her face lost all colour.

"You – what?" she breathed.

"Well, I was drunk; and I saw Elijah; I-I didn't do anything, I just got angry. Billy spent the whole night talking about organized crime, and witnesses, and I just sort of... suggested... since I have two witnesses living here, that it might be worth it to..."

He stopped when Elena dropped back onto the mattress. She was positively green now, but she wasn't yelling, so maybe...

"I don't think Jess' cure-all works for panic," she stated thickly.

"What are you -?" Damon began, but was cut off when she sprinted past him into the bathroom, and he heard the tell-tale sounds of her stomach emptying itself into the toilet.

He waited a few minutes, throwing on a pair of track pants and a t-shirt in the meantime, glad that he would at least be dressed when she either killed him or left him.

"Undo it," he heard her croak when she had come back. "I'm not following through on this, so you'll have to figure out a way to take it all back."

"What do you think I just tried to do?" he answered with a forced calm. He figured that once it was all started, she would just go with it, even if she was angry. "I can't stop it; there are detectives now, and an investigation was already opened anyways, so -"

"I'm not testifying, and neither is Jeremy. We won't be involved, Damon. That's final."

He couldn't believe it. How could she not see that this was what needed to be done?

"They need to go to jail, Elena. You aren't safe; Jeremy isn't safe; not until they're gone for good."

She was shaking her head, tears in her eyes. "We're fine now. They aren't going to do anything to us unless we provoke them by doing this."

"Well this isn't just about you," Damon said venomously.

Something that Billy had said was stuck in his mind, made him realize that even if he could backtrack, he really shouldn't.

"Well it is right now. _I_ am not going to testify. _I_ am perfectly safe. _I_ don't want this to happen."

"Well _you_ don't have a choice anymore!" he shouted. She jumped then frowned at him, but he kept on going, weeks of bottled up frustration finally making itself known. "Do you know what he was doing last night when I saw him? He was with yet another victim! What did you say he calls them? Clients? No, Elena, they are not clients, they are victims. And what happened to your brother will happen to all of them, in turn. So no, this is no longer just about _you_! This is about doing what you can to save other people from having their lives ruined too!"

For a moment, he thought that he'd gotten through to her, but then her eyes hardened again.

"I don't care about all those other people; I care that you're going to get hurt by going through with this. You're going to become a target."

"I can handle myself," he protested.

"I don't believe that," she responded. "I believe that _you_ believe that. So just leave Elijah out of -"

A light-bulb went off in Damon's mind; and not a happy one either. An odd little doubt began niggling at him.

"They aren't going after Elijah," he sighed. "They're going after Klaus."

"Elijah's implicated in everything that Klaus does. And we have a deal with Elijah. Do you really think that if shit starts raining down on them, that they aren't going to retaliate?"

"Okay, one, _we_ do not have a deal with Elijah; _you_ have a deal with Elijah. And two," he took a deep breath. "Why do you keep bringing him up? We're talking about Klaus here, not his brother. And either way, they _both_ deserve to rot in prison!" He waited for Elena to say something back, but she remained silent, and Damon's shoulders slumped. "Unless you don't want _him_ to go to prison."

"What are you talking about?" she asked flippantly, as though she were humouring a small child.

"Do you still have feelings for him?"

Elena reared back, squaring her shoulders and narrowing her eyes.

"Excuse me? Did you just ask me if I have _feelings_ for the man who tried to murder me?"

"Yes," Damon answered, undaunted.

"No!" she exclaimed, her voice higher than usual. "No, I do not have _feelings_ for Elijah! I'm in love with you, you idiot!"

"You can have feelings for more than one person at the same time!" came the frustrated reply.

And it was only when Elena's eyebrows skyrocketed and her face turned purple that Damon realized his mistake.

"So you still have feelings for Katherine," she stated in a low, dangerous voice. "I had managed to convince myself that I _wasn't_ just her replacement, but apparently I was wrong."

Without waiting for his answer, blinking back tears, she brushed past him, still clutching the towel to her chest.

"Elena, you know that's not -"

"I'm going for a walk; I need some air," she grumbled without turning back to him.

"Elena," he growled, following her out.

She had been much faster than he had given her credit for, and he heard her bedroom door slam when he made it into the hall. Rose poked her head out of her own room, looking to the door across from hers, then down the hall to Damon.

"Leave her be for a little while," she advised calmly, walking towards him.

He stood, frozen helplessly, his jaw ticking with the strength it was taking to choke down the words he wanted to say. Her accusation cut him to the bone, even though he _knew_ that he had just done the same to her.

"Damon?" Rose said softly, now standing right in front of him.

"What?" he snapped.

"Whatever you two were arguing about, you'll figure it out, don't worry." She reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But right now, I need to talk to you about something..."

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><p>Elena fumed for the rest of the afternoon, and for the better part of the evening as well. She'd left as soon as she'd gotten dressed, taking a long walk before returning home. She'd left her cell in her room, and noticed with no small degree of trepidation that she'd missed at least a dozen calls from Jenna.<p>

As it turns out, Alaric had, although drunk, managed to inform her of what Damon had told him; essentially, that Elena and Jeremy had been targeted by Klaus. Jenna had figured the rest out on her own.

What had followed was a two hour screaming session as Elena sat, silently, on her bed, taking it in. She had known deep down that she should have told her older sister everything, but she just hadn't wanted to worry her. The phone call had only ended when Jenna's voice had given out, and she promised (threatened) to track Jeremy down and 'deal with him, too.'

By the time the sun had long gone down, Elena had to admit to herself that maybe, just maybe, Damon had a point.

"You're right," Elena stated, pulling a footstool up next to the armchair in Damon's home office, where he was sitting, scribbling away on a note pad.

"I usually am," he replied, continuing to focus on the paper in front of him. "What am I right about now?"

"Everything." His eyebrow twitched, and she corrected herself. "Okay, well not the Elijah part. That was completely ridiculous, Damon, and you know it."

He still didn't say anything else, so she continued.

"I'll do it; I'll help with the investigation or whatever. And Jeremy will too, once Jenna's done with him. I just panicked, and lashed out at you. We both said things that we shouldn't have."

He still wasn't even looking at her, and she sighed in exasperation. She reached out, plucking the notebook and pen out of his hands and tossing them lightly on the floor, before seating herself firmly in his lap and cupping his face, forcing his eyes to meet hers.

"I'm just worried about you," she whispered, "And -"

"Hey!" came Caroline's voice from the door. "Damon, Tyler really needs to – Oh! You two are busy!" She stopped for a moment, fidgeting in the doorway as the couple stared at her. "Well, Tyler really needs to talk to you, Damon."

"Is it for work?" he hissed.

"Well, no, but it's still something that he kind of needs to -"

"Then it can wait."

She deflated, before huffing and clicking her way back down the hall. Damon turned back to face Elena.

"Anyways," she exhaled, "I just really don't want you to become a target, and -"

"We'll hire security," he said softly, comfortingly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Extra people here, and bodyguards. Witness protection probably wouldn't work in our case anyways."

"Okay," Elena whispered, closing her eyes and leaning into Damon's palm.

"And I do not have feelings for Katherine," he bit off. "Aside from the general hate and disgust for -"

"JESUS JENNA! I GOT IT! OKAY! WE SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU, AND – HANG ON, SHE'S RIGHT HERE!"

Jeremy's voice thundered down the hall and he stormed into the office, red from the cold outside.

"Elena, what in the hell happened! I went to work, and now all of the sudden Jenna knows about Klaus, and what was this about the cops?"

"Can we talk about this in a minute?" the brunette asked.

"No, we will talk about this now," her brother insisted.

"Jeremy," she growled, disentangling herself from Damon and stomping over to the doorway. "We are having a serious discussion here; go finish talking to Jenna, and I'll come see you when you're done."

"Elena -"

"Out!" she ordered, giving him a light push, and closing the office door, locking the doorknob.

She turned around and made her way back to Damon.

" - fucking privacy, for Christ's sake."

And then she dropped back into his lap and looked at him expectantly.

"Now, what were we on now?"

Damon grinned, his same old cocky grin. "Well, you're on me," he winked, and Elena rolled her eyes, barely suppressing a smile. Then his face became serious again. "And I was saying how much I hate my ex-wife, and how much I'm in love with you. And I'll do anything for you, even if you hate me for it."

"So this is happening?" she asked in a small voice.

He nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"Okay," she whispered, curling up and tucking her head into the crook of his neck. "I'm just really scared."

"It'll be okay, Elena," he murmured, stroking her back. "We'll be fine."


	18. Far And Away

**A/N: Okay, so here's the real deal; not much longer, but I think you'll all appreciate the added parts. Not much to talk about here aside from that I am beyond sorry for the 2 month wait. I hate when authors do that, and I really do feel really guilty about it. Please, guilt me more by reviewing :P**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>The day outside was annoyingly bright and sunny; entirely too cheerful, in Damon's opinion, considering he hadn't been this anxious in a while.<p>

He was so anxious, in fact, that when Alaric let himself into the office and cleared his throat, the dark-haired lawyer nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Nervous?" Ric asked pointedly.

Damon let out a shaky breath. "You have no idea. Ready to go?"

The other man nodded, and together, they made their way into the hall, where a very burly man surreptitiously followed them into the elevator.

"Well," Alaric began, "This isn't awkward at all."

They continued the rest of the way in silence until the three entered the car waiting in front of the office building. The larger man sat in front with Jerry, while the two lawyers slid into the back.

"Where's Elena?" Ric asked.

"She's meeting us at the station with Jeremy," Damon answered, eyes roving the scenery.

He had originally offered to act as Elena's lawyer while she made her deposition to the detectives investigating Klaus. But, as Ric had pointed out, hearing the exact details of Elijah's betrayal may be a little too much for him to handle, so they swapped: Ric taking Elena, and Damon taking Jeremy.

And as much as he had wanted this, pushed for it, encouraged the siblings to come forward, it was now Damon who was jittery, afraid of screwing this up for the pair that he'd made a private oath to protect, afraid of hearing something or knowing something that he really didn't want to know.

All too soon the car pulled up in front of the police station. The two men got out, ignoring their silent companion, and made their way inside. Damon was operating purely on auto-pilot; this wasn't the first time he'd had to meet a client at the station, but it was the first time he'd gone into it sweating profusely. Thankfully, the siblings were early, and darted over to the pair of lawyers the moment they were within view.

"Damon!" Elena exclaimed, barrelling into his embrace.

He kissed the top of her head, noting with satisfaction the way that his heart rate seemed to slow when she was near him.

"Sorry," she whispered, pulling away and glancing at her brother and Alaric. "I'm just... kind of freaked out."

"Yeah," Jeremy interjected. "I think she broke my hand on the ride over here. I'd hate to see what'll happen to your husband if you ever have a kid."

The younger man then winked at Damon, who smirked at Elena's uncomfortable cough. Even Alaric was grinning at Elena's sudden awkwardness, and it seemed that the comedic relief had alleviated the group of their collective nerves.

Suddenly, Elena's demeanour shifted, and her lips quirked up.

"Well, since Damon was so eager to talk about it the other night, maybe we should start planning for a baby?" His face dropped, and he felt his throat close up as the two other men snickered. "Ooooh! How about we convert your office into a nursery? We'll have to baby-proof the whole place, so we'd have to get rid of -"

"Okay!" the blue-eyed man exclaimed. "I get it! No more teasing about getting pregnant! We're good!"

At that moment, a woman in uniform approached the group, an odd look on her face as she took in their apparent good mood. Damon blinked at her a few times, recognizing her from... somewhere.

"Excuse me, Mr and Ms Gilbert?" Everyone sobered and turned to face the newcomer, who extended her hand to the siblings. "I'm Officer Anna Jenkins. If you'll all follow me, when can get this started."

Elena's fingers were cold as she reached down to grip Damon's hand. He gave a comforting little squeeze, and then they separated, each splitting off to enter a different interrogation room. He felt his stomach tighten unpleasantly when he lost sight of her, following her brother through the door and sitting down next to him. They nodded at each other, the pair having rehearsed the questions at great length over the few days preceding.

This left them in silence as they waited for the detective to arrive, Officer Jenkins standing awkwardly against the wall. Again, Damon peered at her, still trying to place her. He glanced over at his companion and noted Jeremy's eyes glued to the officer as well. Although the younger man's reasoning was obviously quite different from his lawyers.

"Mr Salvatore," Jenkins said, breaking silence in the tiny room. "We met five years ago, if that's what you're wondering." He only frowned in response. "I was part of the investigation into your wife and brother."

"Oh," he answered numbly, avoiding Jeremy's questioning look. "What a coincidence."

They were all saved from any further conversation by the detective's entrance, and they fell into the flow of a routine deposition.

* * *

><p>Elena was surprised when she finally got up from the hard chair and led Alaric out of the interrogation room. She had fully expected another emotional breakdown as she told, and retold, and retold the story of her and Elijah. But it seemed as though, after confessing the entire ordeal to Damon, and seeing through his reaction that it wasn't something to be ashamed of, being honest about her past was becoming easier and easier. There had still been moments when she had teared up, or blushed, or her voice had cracked, but for the most part, she felt like she had finally gotten over the trauma of it.<p>

Unfortunately, her new calm state of mind only lasted all of fifteen seconds as she came into the main lobby, spotted her brother chatting up Officer Jenkins, but couldn't see Damon anywhere. Her heart rate skyrocketed as she approached Jeremy, smiling weakly at the tiny brunette he was talking to, and grabbed his arm.

"Hey, um... Where did Damon go?"

"Oh," the man answered, running a hand through his hair and smiling charmingly at the police officer. "Yeah, he said he had to make a phone call, and went outside."

She nodded stiffly and strode to the front doors of the station, trying to quell the panic within her, attempting to ignore the images suddenly flooding her mind: Damon being shot. Damon being clubbed and dragged into the back of a black van. Damon being beaten and -

" - an excellent job. I really do appreciate it on such short notice."

The moment Elena burst through the doors and stepped outside, she spotted him and his bodyguard. Damon's back was to her and he was looking up at the sky as he concluded his phone call. She approached him, smiling with relief, giggling when she wrapped her arms around his waist and he jumped.

"Right. Sounds great. Talk to you soon," he rushed, sliding the handset into his pocket and turning to face her. "Sorry; important call. Didn't Jeremy tell you?"

His voice sounded a little strained, and Elena frowned suspiciously.

"Who were you talking to?"

He huffed out a nervous laugh. "No one. Just... a work... thing that I needed to... talk about."

"Right," Elena drawled, eyes narrowed. "You know, for a lawyer, you are a terrible liar, but I'll let it go for now because I assume you're keeping it quiet for a good reason. Like, is it a surprise for me?"

Damon grinned before ducking his head to kiss her, temporarily melting away all of Elena's fears and worries and leaving behind a warm feeling that filled her from head to toe. Forgetting that they were standing on the front step of one of the NYPD's busiest stations, she parted her lips, whimpering when her boyfriend's tongue brushed against her own.

"Caroline's right," Alaric's voice cut in. "You two are insatiable." With a groan, Damon pulled away from Elena, and the couple both turned to look at their companion. "Car?"

The three of them hopped down the stairs in silence, all sliding into the limo to wait.

"Where is little brother anyway?" Damon grumbled, wrapping an arm around Elena's shoulder to pull her closer.

Ric rolled his eyes. "Still flirting with that police officer. Jenna wasn't exaggerating; he really is a ladies man."

No sooner had they finished speaking than the door opened and Jeremy slipped in. They heard the front door slam shut, and then they pulled out into the street.

The younger man stretched out, crossing his feet on the seat opposite him. He looked around as the rest of the group watched him.

"What?" he asked, grinning. "Say what you want, but I got her number."

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Elena found herself padding up and down the upstairs hallway in the penthouse. She had knocked on Rose's door, hoping they could go out for coffee and catch up. The older woman had come to the door, but upon realizing that it was Elena, had slammed it shut again. The reporter heard, "Sorry; grading," then footsteps fading, and then nothing.<p>

Frowning, she made her way down the hall to where she knew Caroline was choosing an outfit for her next audition.

She knocked on the bedroom door, waiting a moment before calling out. "Caroline! Are you busy? Can I come in?"

Her hand had only just begun to turn the doorknob when there was a clicking sound, and the knob jammed.

"Uh... Sorry, 'Lena!" Caroline said softly through the door. "I'm, uh... Sick... You shouldn't come in here. Bye."

And again, footsteps away from the door, and then nothing.

Which had left Elena, wandering around the upstairs. Jessica was in the kitchen, cooking, and Damon was in his bedroom, packing for another business trip. Her feet brought her to his doorway, even though she typically avoided him when he was getting ready to leave; she didn't like the thought of him being away from her, especially with their current safety still up in the air.

Nonetheless, she pushed the door open, shuffling along the carpet and flopping back on his bed, pulling a handful of shirts out from underneath her. She could hear sounds coming from his bathroom, and turned her head to watch his reflection in the mirror.

"I'm bored!" she whined.

She heard him laugh, then watched as he made his way back into the room, throwing an armful of bottles into the suitcase.

"And why, might I ask, are you bored?"

Pouting, she huffed out a sigh. "The paper gave me a week off, out of nowhere! And Rose and Caroline won't hang out with me. And Jessica's busy cooking, and I didn't want to disrupt her. And -"

She was on her knees, reaching into the suitcase to fold his shirts, when he leaned over to kiss her lightly.

"I'm almost done; did you want to come with me to the airport?"

Her pout became a scowl. "Fine. To the airport!"

He laughed at her, zipping up his suitcase and dropping it onto the floor, offering his girlfriend his arm. On their way out of the penthouse, they ran into Jessica, who made them try samples of everything she was cooking, before hugging Elena goodbye.

"Just save some of that for me if you guys start dinner early," the brunette demanded, a little confused when the other woman simply smirked and winked at Damon.

The couple headed to the elevator, joined at the bottom floor by their bodyguards, and then entered the limo and waited for Damon's bags to be loaded.

As the car pulled into the traffic, Elena turned and immediately straddled Damon's lap, leaning in to press her lips to his neck.

"I hate it when you leave," she mumbled, breathing hard into his neck.

"Oh, I'm aware," he answered, placing his hands on her waist and slipping his fingers under her shirt, making her smile against his skin.

Her own fingers had slipped up to the collar of his shirt, and began slowly popping the buttons in an effort to strip him of the garment. He let her get two done, before grabbing her hands and stilling them.

"I don't think this is the best time," he rasped, eyes wide, kissing her fingers.

Elena froze, frowning at him, mind numb.

"Are you turning down car sex?" she asked shrilly. He nodded. "Seriously?" He nodded again. "But that's your favourite kind of sex! I'm pretty sure you make up excuses for us to ride together just you can take me in this very seat!"

With a mischievous look, he shrugged, glancing out the window. "What can I say? My mind is elsewhere right now."

For a few moments, Elena's mouth worked silently. Then she pushed off of him and back into her own seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Does this have to do with that phone call at the police station?" she snapped.

"Yes, it does," he answered quietly, laughing softly at her distress.

"Fine then, I take it back. I'm not letting it go. Tell me right now, Damon. What are you hiding?"

He laughed outright at her furious expression, pulling her closer and kissing her resistant lips.

"You'll find out soon enough. Just calm down and try to keep your hormones in check. I mean, I know I'm disgustingly handsome, but you'll just have to resist."

She pushed him back again, sliding even closer to the door, and spent the rest of the car ride badgering him into revealing her surprise. Every time she thought she came close to breaking him, he'd just lean over and steal a kiss before sliding back and out of reach of her slapping hands.

After what seemed like an eternity, they pulled up to the airport. Damon hustled Elena into the building without waiting for his bag or their bodyguards, practically lifting her and dragging her to check in.

"What are you doing? Damon, this is getting ridiculous! What are you planning to – What's Jenna doing here?"

She watched as her boyfriend's face relaxed at the sight of Ric and Jenna before sending Elena a thousand watt smile.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Ric was taking her to LA with us for our trip." Brown eyes widened comically as Damon reached inside of his jacket to pull out some papers. "And I just so happen to have a plane ticket here for a Ms Elena Gilbert, if you're interested."

Elena froze, slack-jawed, until the other couple joined them, and Jenna nudged her arm.

"You okay?"

Unsure of whether to be upset at her boyfriend's deception, or excited for the trip, Elena decided on the best of both worlds: She punched Damon lightly on the arm before curling her fingers into his sleeve and pulling him in for a kiss.

"Damon!" she exclaimed as the group made their way toward the baggage check, "You can't spend this kind of money on me!"

She suddenly turned toward her sister. "Oh my God! I've never been to California before!"

And then turning back, "But you have to let me pay you back for –"

And again, "Ah! Jenna! Venice Beach! And Hollywood Boulevard!"

And then at no one in particular, "Ah! I'm so excited!"

* * *

><p>"So this is my surprise?" Elena whispered once the plane had taken off.<p>

"Mm hmm," Damon hummed in response, eyes sliding over from his laptop. "Actually, it's only part of your surprise." He looked back at his screen and tapped the mouse a few times. "Ric and I have a couple of meetings on the first day, but then I am all yours."

He kept his focus on his computer as Elena leaned back. Much as he would have loved to simply relax, he still had quite a bit of prep to get finished before meeting with clients. And the sooner he finish all his work, the sooner he could simply enjoy being with his girlfriend.

He felt Elena's hand grip his knee, and he swallowed hard, the letters on the screen blurring briefly as his mind rushed through a million different scenarios of where that little hand could go from there. And sure enough, it slipped up, slowly, squeezing here and there for good measure.

"Elena," he coughed, "I really do need to – Jesus!" He hissed the last part when her hand grazed his denim-covered groin.

He caught her hand and held it, hard, his pants tightening uncomfortably. Elena shifted next to him until her lips were pressed to his ear.

"Well if _someone_ had let me get it out of my system in the car..."

His eyes rolled as she sucked on his earlobe, and he thanked whatever deity was listening that their first-class seats were relatively isolated. He watched as the seat belt light switched off from the light bout of turbulence that they'd flown through, and he grinned, hardly able to contain his anticipation for what was going to happen.

"Get in the bathroom," he ordered in a low voice.

Without comment, she stood up, reaching up to stretch, causing her t-shirt to strain over the curves of her midsection.

"Elena," he groaned in warning. She winked back and then quickly made her way to the bathroom.

Slowly, Damon switched off his laptop, and dropped it onto Elena's seat. He looked around, noting with satisfaction that most of the other passengers were either sleeping or busy. Ric and Jenna, for example, were curled together, napping. Quietly, as though afraid he'd be caught, he unbuckled his seat belt and stood up, shuffling over to the aisle Elena had taken and following her up to the front of the plane. There were no flight attendants nearby, for which Damon was exceedingly thankful as he slipped into the tiny bathroom.

He had barely finished locking the door when his girlfriend grabbed him by his collar and yanked him around. She was seated practically in the sink, her legs wound tightly around his waist, arms around his neck and hands running roughly through his hair, mouth locked over his. He responded with equal urgency, yanking her t-shirt over her head and laying it next to her before making quick work of her bra.

"I really," he began, cupping her breasts as she unbuttoned his shirt, "Really wouldn't have pegged you for a Mile High Club kind of girl."

She opened his shirt, leaving it on his shoulders but still raking her nails over his nipples, smirking when he gasped.

"Well, you're taking me on this trip, and this is kind of trip-specific sex." She paused to take a sharp breath when he ducked his head and pulled one dusky nipple between his teeth, thumbing the other. "And, in case you haven't noticed, I now associate car rides with sex." She reached down to unbutton his jeans, pushing them down with his boxers and palming his erection. "I've been throbbing for you, Damon, since we got into that limo."

The combination of her hand on his hardness, and her admission that she'd been turned on for the better part of 3 hours, was enough to make him weak in the knees. He fell forward a little, his hands flat on the counter, boxing her in.

"Take off your jeans," he growled.

She held his eyes as she slid off of the counter, capturing his lips in a searing kiss as she slipped her jeans and panties down and kicked them off. When she was completely naked, she pressed herself closer to him, grabbing his hand and sliding it between her legs, their fingers tangled together as they slipped through her slit.

"I want you so bad, Damon." Her hand left his to grip him again. "Please, don't make me wait anymore."

He would have teased her a little; his favourite thing was watching her get more and more worked up until she couldn't take it anymore. But unfortunately (or, rather, fortunately), she had taken matters into her own hand, literally, and he found he couldn't hold back anymore either.

With his hands on her hips, he spun her around to face the tiny mirror. Their eyes met in the glass, and she spread her legs for him, bending over a little to give him the angle she wanted.

"Please, Damon," she whimpered softly.

He couldn't hold back any longer and with one hard thrust, he buried himself inside of her. Her eyes snapped shut, her back arched, and she let out a soft cry, biting down on her bottom lip so she wouldn't scream.

He pulled back, gripping her hips hard, when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Excuse me," a quiet voice said. "Are you alright in there?"

"Fine!" Damon grunted. "Just a little airsick!"

"All right."

He heard the clicking of heels, and then pleasure shot through him. Impatient, Elena began rolling her hips, moving against him.

"Oh God! Elena!" he whispered, holding her tighter and moving into her once again.

"Yes, Damon. Harder! Please harder!"

He grinned, watching her face in the mirror, memorizing the way he could see the pleasure warping her features. Her fingers scratched at the counter top, and then the wall, trying to hold on as he pounded into her. The plane shook, forcing him to thrust upward, causing her to cry out when he hit a particularly sensitive spot.

"Ah! Damon!"

"Sh..." he cooed, sliding his hands up her ribs to cup her breasts again, pinching her nipples. "Quiet."

She made a low sound of acquiescence, and so he sped up, the sound of skin slapping and Elena's quiet hums of pleasure spurring him on. One of his hands slipped between her legs, lightly rubbing her clit. Her hips bucked, and she opened her mouth in a silent scream. Her inner muscles were throbbing around him, tighter and tighter.

"Elena... I can't... I'm so close..."

Her only response was to grind back against him harder and faster, meeting him thrust for thrust.

"Damon," she whispered, twitching suddenly. "Damon! Damon! Damon!"

He could feel her clamp down on him, and followed her over the edge, allowing himself a long moan with his face pressed into her back.

"Damon?" she breathed, stretching out her arms and back.

"Yes?"

"Can you carry me back to our seat?"

He chuckled a little. "That's a little obvious, but I'll go out first. Give you a few minutes to collect yourself."

He pulled out of her and started moving around, collecting clothes. When he looked at her again, she had her shirt back on.

"You just think you're God's gift, huh?" she teased.

"I've never heard you complain," he taunted back.

"Mmm..." she hummed out, buttoning her pants and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "And you never will. Now off you go."

And no matter how hard he tried, he could not wipe the satisfied grin off his face as he made his way back to his seat.

* * *

><p>When they finally did land in Los Angeles, it was still technically early, given the three hour time difference, and while Elena <em>said<em> that she was good to go out and hit the town, she was secretly relieved when Damon insisted that he was too tired to go out.

"Thank you, Damon," she began, staring out the window at the California sights flying by on their way to Santa Monica. "I know you aren't tired, but it's been a really long day."

"I know," he admitted. "The deposition probably took a lot out of you."

She turned to look at him over her shoulder, smiling mischievously. "And the airplane sex."

"Yes; and the airplane sex."

They were silent again for a few moments.

"Where are we going anyway? I would have pegged you for a downtown hotel kinda guy."

He shook his head. "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies."

Elena didn't even have time to ponder that foreboding before the car slowed down, and eventually stopped. Following Damon's lead, she stepped out into the chilly night air and breathed in the smell of saltwater. From where they stood, she could hear the ocean.

"Damon?"

He circled the car and was by her side in an instant, grabbing her hand and leading her toward the house that they'd parked in front of, leaving their temporary driver to grab their bags. Their temporary bodyguard hung back as well, affording them the illusion of privacy.

"This is where we'll be staying this week," Damon offered.

Elena looked at the house, a charming cottage-like home, and then back to Damon.

"Are Ric and Jenna meeting us here?" she asked, following him into the richly decorated, European-style building.

"Nope, just us." Her head snapped up, and she stared at him for a moment, before turning slowly around, taking in the spacious kitchen and warm living room, both of which had doors facing the ocean. "You can just relax here in Santa Monica; your sister's staying down the street so you two can go to the beach, or whatever, while Ric and I deal with boring things tomorrow."

"Just us?" Elena repeated quietly, almost nervously.

Damon frowned. "Is that okay? I know that you'd like to spend time with Jenna, but -"

"No!" she cried out, smiling. "I mean, yeah, we'll spend some time, but... This is the first time that you and I are really alone!" She darted forward, reaching up to pull him into a tight hug. "This is perfect!"

She could feel his shoulders and back loosen up in response to her delight, and she smiled even more, blinking back completely unnecessary tears of happiness.

"Well then," he began, linking their fingers together, "Let me show you around the place."


	19. That Intimacy Thing

**A/N: K, gonna be running late for practice again, so here's the chapter. Please go back and reread the last chapter. It didn't send out a notification when I changed to the full version, so you should go check that out. I think you guys will all really enjoy this one ;) Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>Elena awoke alone the next morning, draped in a sheet and Damon's button down from the day before. She reached over, keeping her eyes shut tight against the bright California sunlight that was peeking through the window, grabbing the pillow that her boyfriend had used and nuzzling into it, letting out a soft sigh of contentment.<p>

She knew that he would be gone early, but she had hoped that he would wake her up first. They had both fallen asleep the moment they'd slipped into bed, and though Elena had crawled over Damon and pressed soft kisses to his neck and chest, he had pulled her away, kissing her soundly.

"I know you're exhausted; you don't have to reward me with sex."

She opened her mouth to respond that she wasn't 'rewarding' him with anything, but he wrapped his arms around her and shut his eyes before she could say anything.

"Besides," he had rumbled sleepily, "We have the rest of the week."

Elena smiled at the memory, cuddling closer to the pillow, breathing his scent in deeply. She had just begun to doze off again when her phone buzzed from the nightstand. Assuming it was Jenna, she reached over, cracking one eye open and checking her text messages.

DAMON: _Are you awake yet, beautiful?_

Still drifting through the haze of being half-asleep, she couldn't restrain her smile as she tapped out her response.

_Barely. I'm wrapped around your pillow. I hate it when you leave early... :(_

She rolled onto her back, surprised momentarily when she noticed the mirror attached to the ceiling above the bed, stretching out while awaiting his next message.

DAMON: _You have no idea how hard it is to leave you like that in morning. I can imagine a million different ways to have woken you up ;)_

A tingling sensation spread through her. This wasn't anything new; Damon did spend a fair amount of time out of town, and they were both guilty of sending particularly provocative texts messages to the other.

_Aren't you in a meeting?_

She bit her lip, mind racing with dirty thoughts. Luckily she didn't have to wait long for a response.

DAMON: _Recessed for 15 mins; are you still wearing my shirt?_

Plastering a coy smile on her face, Elena reached out to snap a picture of her torso covered in his black fabric.

DAMON: _God... I don't think you'll ever understand how I feel seeing you in my clothes. _

And a moment later...

DAMON: _But you know what I'd like even more..._

Smirking, Elena sat up to shrug the shirt off, but in the same second, she heard a quick knock on the front door of the house, and her phone buzzed again.

JENNA: _I'm outside. Are you up? We can hit the beach before it gets too busy..._

With a groan, the brunette slipped out of the bed, shuffling to unlock the door while simultaneously texting her boyfriend.

_Sorry, baby :(... Jenna just got here... Hold that thought for later ;)_

She flipped the deadbolt and stood back, hiding behind the door as her sister entered, acutely aware of her own partial nudity.

"Good morning!" the blonde woman drawled, wearing a soft green sundress over her bikini. "Sleep well?"

"Like a rock," Elena rasped, leading her sister into the living room. "Didn't even wake up when Damon left."

Jenna giggled. "I wish I had that problem. Ric makes so much noise in the morning, although it is worth it to catch him before he leaves..."

"Okay!" the younger woman exclaimed, holding one hand up to halt the conversation. "You guys are super cute, but I really don't need to hear the details of your love life. So you can just -"

The phone buzzed again, and Elena absent-mindedly opened the text message.

DAMON: _Jesus Christ. I really hate your sister._

* * *

><p>By the end of the first day, Elena was exhausted again. The hours spent in the sun had really taken a toll on her, not to mention the extended conversation that she'd had with the elder Gilbert regarding the secrets that the two younger had been keeping.<p>

"You need to tell me these things, Elena. Since Mom and Dad died, I have to take care of you and Jer."

Elena had sighed, sitting up and pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head. "I just didn't want you getting involved. I got involved, and look at what happened to me!"

"Yeah," Jenna exclaimed, "Your boyfriend almost stabbed you to death. I sat in your hospital room, wishing and praying and crying, and I didn't even know why!"

"Because it could have been you!"

Both of their mouths clamped shut, and neither noticed the few people near them who were trying to listen in. Eventually, they began speaking again in hushed tones, moving away from the topic of Jeremy and Elena's secrecy, drudging up long forgotten issues surrounding their parents death, and how their lives had unfolded after that.

And so, when eventually the sisters had parted to prepare for dinner, Elena had made it as far as the living room couch when she collapsed, intending only to rest for a few minutes before showering and getting dressed to meet Damon and the other couple.

After what seemed like only a moment, she was slowly dragged out of the warm darkness by a soft pressure against her throat.

"Elena... Wake up..."

She felt the words brush against her skin, making her shudder. Lips blazed a trail down to her chest, and she heard Damon speak again.

"C'mon beautiful... We have to get ready for dinner, and I'd feel a little strange dressing you while you're unconscious."

She snorted softly. "Sh... I'm sleeping."

"I'll take that as permission," he said softly, his smile clear in his voice.

As he continued to kiss along her collarbone, his fingers deftly slipped the straps of her bathing suit down her arms, following his progress with his tongue.

"Why are you wearing a one-piece? There are a million different bikinis that I would kill to see you in."

He kept pulling the spandex down, latching his lips around one freshly bared nipple. Elena moaned her satisfaction and stretched her arms over her head. With a low growl, he nipped at her ribs, just below her breast.

"I asked you a question; what's with the one-piece?"

With a laboured sigh, her brown eyes popped open and met his hooded blue ones.

"It's the scar," she began, reaching down to cover the offending strip of skin with her hand. "I'm self-conscious about it, and I really don't want Jenna thinking too much about it."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Damon wrapped his fingers around Elena's wrist and pulled her hand from her lower abdomen.

"What scar?" he asked, dragging his tongue along it.

When he'd gotten to the end, he kissed back across the off-colour skin, finally looking back up to meet her eyes.

"Do you know what I think about this?" he asked, running his thumb idly over the scar, watching her as she shrugged. "I think it's a badge of honour; it's representative of the lengths that you would go to to keep your family safe. It's beautiful, just like you."

Without waiting for a response, he sank lower, finally unwrapping her sarong and peeling her bathing suit from her legs. Her eyes closed instinctively as she basked in the anticipation of what was going to come.

"To follow up," he rumbled, his hot breath making her shudder as it hit the wetness between her legs, "This is how I'd planned to wake you up this morning."

Without any further ado, he gripped her thighs, pushing her legs further apart, spreading her moist lips with his thumbs. She knit her fingers into his soft hair and gasped when he blew over her clit.

"Please Damon," she whimpered, scratching his scalp lightly.

Wordlessly, he pressed forward, running his tongue from her entrance up to her swollen nub. He followed the pattern, gripping her hips when she began bucking into his mouth. He finally sucked her clit between his teeth, slipping one digit into her already throbbing core.

She cried out, and he pushed another finger into her, curling them and thrusting hard and fast. Elena own hands gripped harder, clutching at Damon's hair and the arm of the couch in an effort to anchor herself. Her back arched and she couldn't help the wanton sounds escaping from her lips.

"Damon," she whispered, "Ah! Damon!"

He leaned back, still moving his fingers inside of her. "Good?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, moving her hips in time with the movement of his hand. "So good! You're... so good."

She glanced down at him, propping herself up on her elbows, a new wave of heat flowing over her at the cocky look in his eyes.

"Stop preening," she ordered breathlessly, "And get back to what you were doing."

He grinned like the cat that caught the canary and slowly circled her clit with his tongue, still holding her eyes in an intense stare.

"Oh God!" she moaned, throwing her head back as she felt her stomach tighten. "Oh God, Damon! Harder!"

He obeyed, thrusting a third finger inside of her tight channel, sucking harder on her swollen bundle of nerves. She let out a short scream, nails digging into the cushions of the couch. One of Damon's hands inched up her body, finally kneading her breast, tweaking the nipple, making her scream again.

"Oh God!" she continued to chant, his name slipping in between prayers as she lost control of her body and flew headlong into her orgasm.

Her arms collapsing, her thighs clamped around his head, her hands reached down to grip his hair. Slowly, he covered her sweat covered body with his clothed one, pressing her harder into the cushions, capturing her lips in a needy kiss.

"I totally would have accepted that as a wake up call," Elena rasped, wrapping her arms around Damon's shoulders, noting for the first time that he was still wearing his business suit.

He leaned in to kiss her nose before prying himself away. "You look so peaceful when you sleep, I don't want to disturb that."

He shrugged his jacket off, and Elena sat up, wrapping it over her shoulders and guiding her back to the bedroom to shower briefly (or not so briefly) and get dressed.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week was blessedly uneventful. The two couples spent most of their daytime hours together, touring the city and essentially doing whatever the sisters wanted, as the men had already visited Los Angeles on numerous occasions. On one day, Damon and Elena left Alaric and Jenna behind to take a day trip to Santa Barbara, where the blue-eyed lawyer insisted his favourite restaurant was.<p>

On the last full day before their flight back to New York, the group went for dinner at an exclusive restaurant in the city itself. As Damon and Elena slid out of the back of their car where Alaric and Jenna were waiting, they were suddenly accosted by a short bald cameraman.

"Damon Salvatore," the paparazzo croaked in a thick Brooklyn accent. "Fancy seein' you here, fella."

"Manny!" the two lawyers exclaimed, Damon continuing the conversation. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me they've run you out of New York!"

"Nah!" Manny replied. "Needed a change a scenery. So how's the girlfriends treatin' ya?"

He eyed Elena and Jenna appreciatively, clearly coming to the entirely wrong conclusion about their relationship status'. Ric nonchalantly slung his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder, while Damon grew a touch colder.

"Not plural anymore, Manny. It's just me and Elena, and you can publicize that all you want."

"Well," the gruff man chuckled, "How do you think the other three'll feel when they hear that? You all still live togethah, dontcha?"

Shooting Elena a cautious glance, Damon began to edge toward the entrance to the restaurant, but Manny followed them, clearly expecting an answer.

"Let's just say," Damon began in a low voice, trying to keep Elena from overhearing, and failing miserably, "That our home will be much emptier when we get back."

The smaller man froze, his eyebrows shooting up in shock, before extending his free hand to Damon.

"Well good on ya, man. Good luck with that. And from where I'm standing," he gave Elena another quick once over, "She's a keepah."

He broke off from them, moving back to where celebrities and socialites were stepping out of their vehicles, leaving Damon to turn back to Elena, and catch her wide-eyed stare.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered, completely aware that he was caught.

"What do you mean, 'emptier'?"

Damon shrugged, following Ric and Jenna through the doors, where the _maître d' _seated them immediately. When the four were alone again, he looked to the other couple for support, but they seemed to be finding the situation enthralling to watch, as Elena persisted in badgering him for a straight answer.

"It's nothing," he reassured her, sipping on his glass of wine and glaring at Ric. "Rose just came and let me know a few weeks ago that there was a 3 bedroom a few floors down that was available, and she decided that it was time for her to be on her own."

"That's it?" Elena prodded.

Jenna snorted, and Damon wanted nothing more than to kick the other woman under the table.

"She and Jessica may have made plans to slowly work her – Jessica, I mean – into Rose's new place."

Elena blinked slowly, as if unable to understand what he was saying. He sighed, deciding that since most of the surprise was ruined anyway, he may as well go with all of it.

"And Tyler made a big deal a few weeks ago about asking if it was okay with me for Caroline to move in with him. Like I'm the boss of her or something."

He laughed awkwardly, taking a much larger gulp of his wine, oblivious to Ric's continuous refilling of his glass.

"So," Elena drawled, watching him for confirmation, "Everyone's leaving?"

"Not necessarily; just Rose and Caroline. Jess will take a little time, and Jeremy will be there for as long as you want to keep him under your supervision." He stopped, eyes on his girlfriend, unsure what to make of her lack of emotion. "It's what you wanted, right? Something about 'fucking privacy'?"

Still rather blank, she nodded and swallowed hard, finally seeming to notice where they were and taking a large drink from her own wine glass. She didn't say much as they chatted, but when the waiter came to take their order, she squeezed Damon's hand. He looked over at her, alarmed at how pale she seemed.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked quietly.

"I, uh, I think I'm just... My stomach's a little upset. I think I'll just head back to the house. I'm sorry for ruining your plans."

Jenna leaned forward. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Oh, no," Elena smiled, standing abruptly. "I'll be fine." She looked straight at Damon. "The car is still here, right? Do you mind if I -?"

"Go ahead," he encouraged, standing with her. "Should I -?"

Still smiling softly, she pressed a tender kiss to his lips. "I'll be fine; stay, eat, have a good time. I'll just take some aspirin and go to sleep."

In spite of her protests, he insisted on at least walking her out, double and triple checking that her temporary bodyguard was with her before she slipped into the car and drove away.

* * *

><p>Dinner was an enjoyable affair; Damon found himself glad that they had taken this elaborate double-date together, as he quite liked Jenna. He especially liked how Ric was when they were together. After years of Alaric standing behind Damon through all of ups and downs, the latter felt that he sort of owed his friend, and was glad that his relationship had stemmed from something Damon himself had done.<p>

But in spite of the lovely evening, the other couple could tell that the blue-eyed man was anxious to be back at his girlfriend's side. He was particularly worried that she was upset with him about the upcoming departures of their housemates, even though she had implied on numerous occasions that it was the next logical step in their relationship. But maybe she hadn't wanted to take that step?

When he finally arrived back at their rented home, he took his shoes off outside the door, not wanting to make more noise than was necessary in case Elena was sleeping already. He slid inside the house, padding past the living room and kitchen, headed straight for the bedroom through the darkened house. He was surprised, however, when not only was the bed empty, but it didn't even look like anyone had been in it all night.

For a heartbeat, Damon froze, terrifying thoughts of Elena having been kidnapped by Klaus' thugs, or murdered, or a million different and more horrifying scenarios. Then, he heard her.

"Damon," she was calling softly.

He spun on his heel, frowning when he noticed that the doors to the patio were open. It was then that he noticed the trail of her clothes littering the floor.

"Feeling better?" he asked as he made his way outside, smirking when he finally saw her in the jacuzzi.

She closed her eyes, stretching out so the end of her ponytail dipped into the water. "Much better," she answered. After a moment, she looked at him, cocking an eyebrow and licking her lips. "Join me?"

He didn't even answer before ridding himself of his clothes in record time and climbing into the hot water with her. She floated across the tub, wasting no time before straddling his thighs and kissing him softly.

"You know," he mumbled against her lips until she moved down his jaw to his throat, "If you wanted jacuzzi-sex, you could have just said something."

"But isn't the anticipation the best part?"

"I think the orgasm's the best part."

She laughed, pulling back until they were locked in a stare, neither of them wanting to look away.

"I hope you aren't trying to reward me with sex again," he deadpanned.

"Damon," Elena sighed, "I don't reward you with sex."

Slowly, she slid her nails down his chest. "If I did, I would have been in your bed from the second you started buying me flowers and things."

Just as slowly, her hands dipped below the water, the fingers of her right hand wrapping around his member.

"You could buy anyone a dress or a necklace; you could have just come here, and come home the next day, and I would never have known the difference. But you knew how much I needed to get away. And you know how much it's been stressing me out that we can't ever be alone."

She'd started pumping him, and he tried very hard to keep himself from throwing his head back at the sensation.

"These are the things that you do that are special to me; they make me feel closer to you; make me want to have this intimacy with you. It's not a reward, it's a biological imperative."

She nodded, as though that alone would convince him of the pureness of her motives. When it was clear that she finished speaking, he leaned forward to leave wet kisses over her chest, one hand moving up to grip her hair and pull her head back a little, inadvertently sliding her closer.

"Is that acceptable?" she asked, huskily, one of her hands still wrapped around him, the other now gripping his shoulder for support.

He released her hair, instead cupping the back of her head to push their foreheads together.

"As long as you're happy."

She nodded, eyes filling with tears, and he kissed her, the most loving kiss he could manage. She gripped him a little harder and moved her hips up, slowly sinking down onto him until he couldn't resist anymore. His head tipped back, his eyes closed, and he let out a long, loud moan.

Her lips were on his throat, sucking on the skin, when she began to roll her hips, making the water sloosh around them. Both of Damon's hands found their way to her hips as he lifted her and brought her back down, slamming her down onto him. He wanted so badly to hear her screams of ecstasy echo into the night, and he was not disappointed.

His head tipped up again, and he went back to pleasuring her breasts, sucking on one nipple, then the other, and all the skin in between, leaving what would most certainly become very dark and telling love bites all over her chest.

Elena's fingers were digging into his shoulder, using the leverage to move with him, faster and harder.

"Ah! Damon! Yes! Hard... Please, hard!"

"Elena!" he exclaimed, feeling himself getting closer and closer to the edge. "We should slow down... I'm too close..."

She fell forward, pulling his head away from her chest and capturing his lips in a rough kiss. "I'm not nearly finished with you, yet. Come with me... Please..."

Her voice was so husky, her eyes so dark with lust, he almost couldn't breathe at how much she wanted him. And the thought of the pleasure she clearly had planned for later...

He felt his balls tighten, but he held off, thumbing her sensitive clit, needing her to finish first. He loved watching her face as he made her come. And he wasn't disappointed as she began riding him wildly, murmuring nonsense and digging her nails into him harder. He could feel her legs twitching around him, and with a long wail, she came, finally dragging him over with her.

They remained collapsed together until the water around them calmed a little, and Damon was convinced he'd heard a smattering of applause from somewhere down the beach. He hoped to hell Elena hadn't heard it; she wasn't normally one for exhibitionism, this vacation notwithstanding, and would hate for her to feel embarrassed by anything they did.

She began to stand up, but he kept a tight hold on her, trying to pull her back into his lap.

"Just... wait a second," he breathed.

Chuckling, Elena leaned forward to kiss his hair.

"You rest out here if you need to... I'll go wait inside for you."

The water splashed a little as she stood up and stepped out of the tub. Damon couldn't keep his eyes of her dripping naked form as she sauntered, towel-less, back into the bedroom, turning around at the door to send him a little wink.

He sighed, glad that no one was around to mock him, sliding down further into the tub and closing his eyes, dreaming up all kinds of Elena-related fantasies. He decided, in that hot tub, recovering from great sex and mentally preparing himself for more of the same, that his life's mission would become to give Elena everything her heart desired, whether she knew it or not, if only to keep her this happy all the time. Sex aside, seeing her this carefree and confident was something he wanted more to see more often.

After a few minutes, he stood up, proud of his stamina when he spotted his still half-hard erection. He grabbed a red towel draped across a chair and wrapped it around his waist, not wanting to get cold. When he stepped back inside, he was taken aback by the sheer amount of lit candles that appeared to have grown out of the furniture. He couldn't remember having seen them in the house before. After glancing around, his gaze feel on Elena, hair down and mussed, a mischievous smirk on her face, rising from the bed and slowly making her way toward him.

Wordlessly, she kissed his lips, then made her way down, from his jaw to his throat, down his chest and abs, until she was on her knees before him, kissing along the edge of his towel.

"What's up with this, anyway?" she asked, fingers tangling and tugging at the bottom of the red fabric.

"Cold," he rasped.

"Hm... Want me to warm you up?"

Without awaiting his answer, she bit down on the towel and slowly unwrapped it from his waist. It hit the floor, and he gasped as her lips wrapped over the head of his hardness. She swirled her tongue around, sucking a little, and he yelled incoherently, reaching down to grip her hair. She took him in deeper, gripping his ass to hold him in place.

He hit the back of her throat and his hips bucked. He could feel her smile around him, feel the vibrations as she hummed her delight at his reactions.

"Elena," he moaned, trying to hold her head still. "You have to... You have to stop... I'm going to -"

She pulled away and sank back, looking up at him with lust-filled eyes and swollen lips.

"I told you, we have all night. I want to make you feel good."

Still holding his gaze, she took him into her mouth again, as deep as she could manage, swallowing around his head and making him buck once more. She moaned, and he took that as encouragement, holding her head in place and tentatively thrusting forward.

"Ah... yeah..." he hissed when she fondled his tightening balls. "So... close..."

One of her hands was wrapped around his hipbone, nails digging in hard, loosening her grip to stroke the pained skin. She sucked one last time as he thrust in, and he shouted her name, spilling streams of semen down her throat.

She released him with a pop, wiping her lips with her thumb and kissing her way back up his torso.

"Good?" she asked, her mouth against his ear.

"Oh-oh yeah," he stuttered, holding her close and walking her back toward the bed.

"Hey!" she teased, nipping at his earlobe before falling back onto the mattress. "I thought I was in charge here."

He loomed over her, indulging in a hard kiss before standing straight up again. "My turn," he rumbled.

After a cursory examination of the room, his eyes landed on a cushioned chair in the corner. He dragged it to the end of the bed and fell back into it, eyes on Elena as she lay, splayed out on the bed.

"Bend your knees and spread your legs. Look up into the mirror."

She did, and Damon licked his lips, his eyes jumping from her moistened slit to her pert nipples to her reddened lips.

"Do you see how beautiful you are?"

"Yeah," she choked.

He leaned forward, propping his elbows up on the mattress. "Good. I love your breasts... They're so full and perfect. Hold them in your hands; squeeze them."

Slowly, she trailed her fingers up her tight stomach to obey him, moaning as she did it.

"Keep your eyes open; watch in the mirror. Touch your nipples. I know you love it when I do that."

He licked his lips and swallowed hard, watching as she twitched with pleasure and she became wetter. All he wanted was to touch her himself, but they so rarely got the opportunity to play games like this. He wanted to take advantage of these finals hours of their vacation just as much as she did.

As he watched her writhe under her own touched, his felt himself hardening yet again. _Well,_ he thought, _There's something to be said for voyeurism._

"Elena," he rasped, "Reach one hand down between your legs. I want you to feel how wet you are."

Her right hand slid down her body, and when she reached her goal, she moaned. She slipped her fingers between her swollen lips, spreading her juices all the way up to her clit.

"Does that feel good?"

Her eyes fluttered to his before snapping back up to the mirror. "Better when you do it."

"Mmm," he hummed, finally standing from the chair and crawling up the bed to her.

He took her fingers between his own and sucked them into his mouth, licking every drop of her essence and swallowing it down like it was the finest wine. Then he ducked his head, licked her clit, and peppered her torso with kisses. When he finally reached her mouth, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in, thrusting her tongue against his own and purring, pressing her body against his.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear.

He didn't answer, only smiled into her shoulder, reaching down to pull her leg around his waist. Slowly, he pressed into her, cupping her breast in the same moment, relishing in the way she arched up.

They didn't exchange words anymore. She kept her eyes locked on the mirror above, and he kept his eyes locked on her face. They moved slowly and deeply against each other, indulging in passionate kisses as they took their time.

The door to the patio was still open, and as the breeze came off the ocean, Damon couldn't imagine a more beautiful moment in his entire life; making love to the most beautiful woman in existence, basking in the salt water wind, soaking each other in. He couldn't find the words to tell her how much he cherished her, so he didn't. He only thrust deeper, leaving feather light touches all over her body, making her feel his love.

They kissed as they came, connected in every human way, and they fell asleep tangled together, unnecessary words disappearing with the sound of the oceans waves.


	20. What The Hell Is Happening?

**A/N: Alright everyone, here is the final chapter. There is an epilogue coming, but this is the end of the story itself. There's a lot of stuff, and I hope I covered it sufficiently. Please let me know if you have any questions. Reviews are always lovely things.**

**Enjoy!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>"What do you mean 9 o'clock?"<p>

"_I mean,_" Elena answered over the phone, in a tone that made Damon's jaw tick with frustration, "_I have to meet with this person for dinner and I probably won't be free until 9 o'clock._"

She spoke slowly, as though he were a small child, and he didn't like it one bit.

"But _we_ were supposed to have dinner tonight, remember? Just like _we_ were supposed to have dinner last night, and the night before that, and the night before that, and every night for the past week. Except that _you_ keep pushing it off."

He was borderline furious. It had been two months since their trip to Los Angeles, and everything had been going smoothly. The absence of Rose and Caroline in their day-to-day lives had made a significant difference in their relationship, for the better, and Damon couldn't remember a time when he'd been happier. Not even with Katherine.

"_I'm not 'pushing it off', okay,_" she snapped. "_I have to work. I was supposed to have this meeting done this afternoon; he called to reschedule. There's nothing I can do about it, just like there's nothing you can do about it when you get called away last minute. It's just something we have to deal with._"

The lawyer paced angrily around his office, running a hand roughly through his hair, trying to resist the urge to throw something into the wall. This was all Elijah's fault.

"Look, Elena, if this is about the arrest -"

"_It isn't about anything! I just have to work!_" She'd blurted it so fast, Damon was sure she was lying.

A week before, the NYPD had made their first move against Klaus – by arresting Elijah. And when Elena had found out, she'd lost it. The only reason she had agreed to cooperate with Damon was because he had assured her that nothing would happen to her ex-boyfriend. After a while, he'd even understood her point: She'd made a deal with the man, and she planned to honour that agreement.

But through her actions, Elijah had been arrested. She told Damon that she was upset because Klaus would know that it was she and Jeremy who had gone to the police, and that everyone that they cared about were endangered. And although Damon knew that that was part of it, he also knew her well enough to know that she felt like she'd failed to uphold her word. And that was important to her.

"Fine," he sighed, seeing that he was making no headway by being combative, "Then will you at least meet me at 10? I have to very quickly meet a client at the airport before he leaves, but that isn't until 11. We can meet in the city, go to the airport, and then have the rest of the night to ourselves?"

There was silence on the end of the line for a few moments before Elena answered.

"_Okay; where did you want to meet?_"

"Hm," Damon hummed, pretending to be deep in thought even though he already knew his answer. "How about the pier? You know the one where -"

"- _I told you all of my deep dark secrets?_"

The man grinned at her answer. "That's the one. It's pretty central. You can call Jerry to pick you up from dinner, and I'll just walk from the office."

"_Sounds good,_" she agreed, and Damon actually jumped. "_I'll see you then._"

"Great... Bye."

"_Damon wait!_" He brought the phone back to his ear and waited. "_I love you._"

He smiled, glad that even though they'd been arguing and picking at each other for the better part of a week, she still loved him, and still wanted him to know it.

"I love you too. See you later."

And with that, he hung up, grabbed his coat and his briefcase, and swiftly left his office.

He had no intention of waiting there for four hours for Elena to meet with him; he had better things to do. He was quickly developing a plan for the evening... There were just a few things that he needed to pick up first.

* * *

><p>By the time Damon got back home, he was sure that he was going to be late to meet Elena. He tore through the lobby of the building, nearly ripping the security guard's heart out when his ID card wouldn't work, and then jumped into the elevator, standing in strained silence with his bodyguard.<p>

Because just having the bodyguard hover around wasn't enough anymore; with Elijah's arrest, Elena had insisted that security be amped up again. Hence the ID cards that needed to be swiped to enter the building. Although that wasn't entirely because of Elena.

Damon hadn't told anyone that Katherine and Stefan had both been released from prison a few weeks after the Los Angeles trip. Rose and Alaric were both aware, but that was due to their personal interests in the matter rather than their friend informing them. A restraining order had been put in place, keeping either member of the released couple away from Damon, and hence Elena, and there had been no trouble. No phone calls, no visits, no letters. Not even a text or an email.

Damon was so overwhelmed with relief, he couldn't even bother to be insulted that they seemed to have forgotten him. He had enough problems of the criminal variety as it was.

The elevator bell dinged as the doors opened, and the two men bustled out, arms laden with bags. Damon had had the entire evening plotted, but given Elena's non-cooperation, he would have to rearrange. He led the guard up the stairs to his bedroom, but stopped just short of the door.

"Dammit! I forgot a box in lobby while I was fucking around with the damn card!"

He dropped his packages and turned on his heel, but the guard stopped him.

"I'll go down, sir," the larger man offered. "You start setting up."

Damon nodded but just as he turned to push the door open, Jessica poked her head out of her bedroom, eyeing him up and down before glancing at the bags.

"I thought you were going out for dinner with Elena?" she asked softly.

He sighed, moving towards her. "I was; she had to work late so I'm picking her up later."

"Hm," she answered, nodding and pulling her hoodie tighter around herself, stepping back into her bedroom. "Come see! I'm almost all packed up!"

He followed her in, glancing around the room in surprise. Sure enough, there was nothing left out but her made bed, and a change of clothes thrown over a corner chair.

"Wow," Damon murmured, his heart rate spiking for a second as he considered the enormity of what was happening. "You're really leaving soon."

Jessica nodded and slipped under his outstretched arm. "I really am. Just a few more things to throw in a box, and then I'm down with Rose." Damon leaned over to kiss her hair. "Anyways," she began, a little louder, "You should go and finish whatever you were doing. I'll let you know before I go."

Damon smiled, giving her one last squeeze before pulling away and returning to the hallway. Over the past couple of months, Jessica had become a whole other person. While she was still quiet, she spent less time alone in her room, and had even taken to going down to spend time with Rose. Caroline had even managed to get her as far down as the lobby a couple of times.

Everything seemed to be coming together, Damon realized as he pushed his bedroom door open, moving the bags into the room and staring at them, unsure of where to begin. He thrust his hand into his pocket, fidgeting away the anxious energy that was paralysing him.

He heard his bedroom door open as he was bending toward the first package.

"Thanks man; you can drop the box over next to the bed."

Footsteps clicked their way closer, but stopped right behind Damon's back. To his surprise, arms encircled his waist, and he felt a light kiss on the back of his neck.

"Elena? I thought you had a dinner?"

Another kiss. "I missed you too much. It feels like I haven't seen you in years."

He felt her tongue blaze a trail up to his ear, and he leaned back into her, bringing on of her hands up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles.

"When did you get your nails done?" he asked, eyeing the bright red polish with confusion. Elena always preferred paler colours.

And just like that, he knew.

"Katherine," he whispered, pulling away and turning to face her.

Sure enough, there before him stood his ex-wife. She looked the same as ever, not a trace of her years in prison. And to Damon's dismay, she still looked just like Elena.

"Hello darling," she drawled, a simpering smile curving her lips, a malicious gleam in her eyes. "Did you miss me?"

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, taking yet another step back from her. "I have a restraining order; you shouldn't be here. How did you get in?"

Katherine was gliding toward him, still smiling, flipping her curled hair back over her shoulder, hips swinging with every step.

"Your bodyguard is an idiot. He's also unconscious in the elevator. And why wouldn't I be here?" She giggled, pressing her hand to his chest and leaning up into him. "Did you really think I could stay away from you forever?"

She stood taller, up on her toes, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. And for just a second, Damon didn't do anything. Then he blinked, and remembered exactly what was happening.

"Katherine!" he shouted angrily, pushing her away from him.

She stumbled back, tripping over a bag and knocking a few boxes over with a loud bang. A soft shuffling sound emanated through the bedroom wall, and Damon prayed that Katherine hadn't heard it. He had a very back feeling about what was going on.

"Where's Stefan?" he growled, wiping his lips clean of her taste. "Seems like you two were made for each other, right? You were in love from the moment you met; don't tell me a little thing like prison changed all that."

"Oh, he's around," Katherine answered cryptically. "And I was just hoping to do this a little more pleasantly, but apparently my replacement has her claws in you pretty deep."

"She isn't your replacement," the lawyer snapped, trying to edge around to the door. His stomach clenched when he noticed his ex-wife surreptitiously blocking his path. "And what are you talking about? What are you here for?"

At that, Katherine giggled again, turning to approach his dresser and examine the pictures there. She fingered an image of him and Elena.

"Funny how life works sometimes, isn't it baby?" She kept moving around the room, conspicuously remaining between him and the door. "Someone came to visit me in prison. Stefan too. A really nice man named Klaus."

At that, Damon's stomach dropped, and he lunged for the door. But before he could make it, Katherine had whirled around, her fist connecting with his jaw. He stumbled back, watching, horrified, as she pulled a gun from inside her jacket.

"Where's Stefan?" he asked again, through gritted teeth.

"Oh, Stefan won't be joining us," she responded, bringing the gun up to aim at his chest. "He's a little busy with the _other_ me."

Without thinking, Damon darted forward, his only concern the preservation of Elena's safety. But Katherine was too quick for him, bringing her knee up and using his own momentum against him. He gasped as she thrust him away, so that he was now between her and the door.

"Well, enough of the chatting I think. Time to say goodnight, sweetheart."

Her grip tightened on the gun, and Damon closed his eyes. He heard the gunshot, felt the splatter of blood, and fell back, waiting for the pain to hit him.

Only it never did.

"Damon!" A familiar voice was calling his name as someone shook him lightly. "Damon, open your eyes. You're fine."

Tentatively, he squinted one eye open, only to see...

"Jessica! Get out of here! She has a gun!"

To his surprise, she only laughed and began pulling him up. He opened both eyes and stared in shock at the prone body in front of him on the floor. Blood was pooling beneath Katherine's unconscious form, and it was then that he realized what had happened.

"Damon, we have to get up. We have to go," Jessica was muttering urgently.

_Urgently?_ _Jessica never does anything urgently._

"Damon!" she shouted, slapping him. "Get up!"

That woke him. He blinked blearily, trying to understand how _Jessica_ shot _Katherine_. Because that was sure what it looked like. He stood up, eyeing the bloodstains on his shirt with disgust before meeting his ex-girlfriend's blue eyes.

"What the _hell_ is happening?"

Not satisfied with him just standing, she began pushing him out of the room and down the hall.

"I heard a bang; I came to check; she had a gun; I shot her."

"Okay, but – What the -?" He slowly processed what she was saying and stopped, spinning on his heel to face her. "You could have shot me!"

Jessica laughed. "Damon, the notion that I would have missed my mark is about as funny as the thought of Caroline not speaking for a full twenty four hours."

She shook her head at him, but kept walking forward, passing him and going into her bedroom. Damon froze at the door. Where it had been spotless less than half an hour before, it now looked like a disaster zone. Her mattress was leaning precariously against the opposite wall, and the box spring was upside down. And full of...

"Guns! You have guns in your bed!" Damon exclaimed, unsure of whether he should be angry, or terrified, or grateful.

"What did she say, Damon?" Jessica asked, her tone urgent again. "What did Katherine say to you?"

She was moving with more determination than he had ever seen out of her. Kneeling next to the box spring, she pulled out a variety of holsters, which she attached to herself, and then filled with guns.

"I don't understand what's happening," the man whispered, frowning at his inability to reason through the events that had brought him here.

With an exasperated sigh, Jessica pulled down the leg of her jeans to cover a handgun, and rose, striding over to him and cupping his face, holding his gaze.

"Damon, I know this is all very overwhelming. Your ex-wife just tried to murder you, and she's currently bleeding out on your floor. Now, the paramedics and the police are already on their way, but we need to be gone before they get here."

"Why?" he asked softly.

"Because Elena's in trouble. What did Katherine say about Elena?"

Katherine... Elena... Stefan! Damon's mind cleared as he realized the danger that his girlfriend was in.

"Oh my God! Stefan's going after Elena! He's going to kill her!"

He pulled away, turning frantically, adrenaline pulsing through him.

"Okay," Jessica said calmly, drawing his attention back. "Now where is she?"

"She-she-she... She's down at a pier. She's waiting for me. We have to get down there!"

Jessica nodded and finally led him out the door, hopping down the stairs, gun in hand, scanning the foyer quickly before pressing the call button for the elevator. They waited in silence until Damon couldn't handle it anymore.

"Jessica!" he exclaimed, drawing her wide eyes to him. "Who the hell are you?"

* * *

><p>"Excuse me?"<p>

Elena stopped mid-stride as she paced along the pier. Turning, she noticed a familiar man standing a few feet away from her. A chill ran up her spine as she glanced around, searching for her bodyguard, wondering how this man had gotten so close to her without her realizing.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked, trying to place him. If only he'd step out of the shadows...

"Are you Elena?" he answered, inching closer so she could get a better look at his green eyes. "You must be; you look just how he described."

"I'm sorry," Elena stuttered, stepping back from the stranger and looking up where Jerry had parked. She could see both of her companions sitting in the front seat. Why were neither of them watching? "I don't believe we've met."

"No!" he exclaimed, extending his hand. "I'm sorry; I'm so rude. My name is Stefan – Stefan Salvatore. I believe you are dating my brother."

There were a lot of things that Elena wanted to say: "_You're_ Stefan Salvatore?" "I thought you were in prison!" "Is Katherine also out of prison?" "Does Damon know?" "Why didn't he tell me?" But her stomach was still churning anxiously, and so she erred on the side of caution.

Shaking his hand, she smiled. "It's nice to meet you. Yes, I'm Elena."

He smiled pleasantly back. They stood silently, Elena glancing up at the car every so often, wondering why no one had come to check on her yet. She had a bad feeling about Stefan's sudden presence, though she couldn't imagine why. What had she ever done to him?

"If you're waiting for Jerry or that brute of a bodyguard, you'll be waiting a while," Stefan pointed out casually, still staring intensely at her.

"Wh-Why?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Because," Stefan reached into his jacket and pulled out a shotgun, "Jerry's skull unfortunately came into contact with the butt of this gun. And the bodyguard is probably still trying to stop his femoral artery from spraying all of his blood around the car."

Without warning, Elena spun and ran, cursing herself for having worn high-heeled boots, and mildly thankful that it wasn't yet so cold that there was ice. She heard heavy footsteps behind her, and then Stefan yanked her back roughly, turning her and holding her close to his chest. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't get out before the crown of Elena's head made hard contact with his nose. He groaned, releasing her in favour of cupping his face.

She bolted again, running the other direction this time, desperate to make it back to the car. Unfortunately, in her haste, she failed to notice another man standing on the pier. He stepped into her path, but she couldn't stop in time, and ended up in his arms.

"Miss Gilbert, how lovely it is to finally meet you," said the newcomer in a distinctly British accent. "I believe you know my brother, Elijah."

"Klaus," Elena whimpered, trying to pull away from the blue-eyed man, terror rushing through her veins.

"Stefan!" the man yelled, glaring over her shoulder at the approaching Salvatore. "All you had to do was shoot the bitch, not play tag with her."

He shoved her away, back into Stefan's waiting arms. She shuddered against his hard chest, trembling in fear and disgust, acutely aware of Klaus' eyes scanning her body.

"Well you are beautiful. I can see why my brother grew so... attached," Klaus murmured, gripping her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at him. "What do you think, Stefan? I mean, I can see the resemblance between her and Katherine, but -"

"But Katherine's sexier, more confident. Definitely the better choice. I'll bet Damon's all over her right now."

Elena's stomach dropped. If Katherine was with Damon, then he was in danger. She had to get away, she had to fight them off, she had to -

"Well, if you're so sure that your brother has your girl, why don't you take his for a spin, huh?"

"What!" Elena shrieked, flailing in Stefan's arms. "No!" she screamed when he dragged her back, covering her mouth.

She continued to scream, though the sound was muffled, as Stefan's free hand worked to unbutton her coat. When it hung open, his fingers trailed down to her legs, pushing her skirt up. With the change in position, Elena was able to swing her elbow back and dig it into Stefan's ribs. He gasped, and she bit down, hard, on his fingers, darting forward when he finally pulled his hands away. Klaus stepped toward her threateningly, but she never even made it that far as Stefan caught up to her again, hauling her down on the ground and pinning her there by her wrists.

"No! Stefan please don't! I'm not your brother's girl! I'm not your brother's girl!"

She had an idea, and while she didn't think it would change Klaus' mind, it might stop Stefan long enough for her to do something. And sure enough, he froze, looking up at his partner, who had edged a little closer too.

"We've been fighting, because Elijah got arrested," she sobbed. "I told him to leave Elijah alone! I didn't want -" She arched her neck, meeting Klaus' eyes. "I didn't want your brother to get hurt. If I'd known, I would have warned him."

The blue-eyed man frowned, looking from her to Stefan, and back again.

"I was supposed to meet Damon here, but I was going to break up with him. I'm leaving him, Stefan!"

The two men looked at each other in bemusement, then glanced back down at her. Klaus was smirking, while Stefan's eyes were narrowed.

"Prove it," he ordered, releasing her wrists but still hovering over her.

And without thinking, without considering the consequences, she reached up, sank her fingers into Stefan's hair, and pulled him in for a rough kiss.

* * *

><p>"Look," Damon began, chancing a quick glance over at Jessica in the passenger seat before focusing once more on the road. "It's not that I don't believe you, but don't you think I would have known if my own <em>girlfriend<em> was a CIA agent?"

"The point of the CIA is that they're able to cover these things up. There's no way you could have known unless I told you. Which I've done. Do you need to see my ID again?"

She held her wallet out to him, but he just pushed it away, taking a deep breath, trying to come to terms with what she had just told him.

"Okay, so if you're some CIA agent, how come you're living with me?"

Jessica sighed, rolling her eyes at his insistence.

"I was in Somalia with my team. The mission was to extract two children, and bring them back to US soil. And before you ask, no, I don't know why. We just do what we're told. Well unfortunately, my team was caught. I was able to get the children hidden, but we were stuck..." She swallowed hard, and Damon felt a sudden pang for making her relieve what was most certainly a traumatic event. "We were forced to listen to my best friends being tortured for hours. I'd had my iPod with me, so the kids listened to that, but I -" She paused, regressing momentarily back to what she had been months before, small and terrified. Then she shook her head and coughed. "When they finally died, everyone left, and we got out. They sent me on stress leave, and I just – I was so traumatized and I just couldn't face it."

"So whenever you heard a loud noise, you were scrambling to arm yourself?"

"Exactly. I've been getting better and better since Elena moved in, and I guess, you and her both being in danger, it broke whatever's been holding me back." She stretched out, and Damon felt a touch of fear as the gun in her hand came dangerously close to his face. "I feel great! This is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing! Do you know how many sharp shooting contests I've won?"

A nervous chuckle escaped the man as he licked his lips. "Do I want to know?"

Jessica shrugged. "It might make you feel better."

She spent the rest of the car ride regaling Damon with tales of her former life as an agent, although she did keep quite a few of the details to herself. He was secretly thankful for her constant chatter, as it distracted him from dwelling too much on what he might find when they arrived.

"We're here," he announced, eyes scanning the pier for Elena as he parked illegally, not that he gave it much thought.

"Damon," Jessica began in a serious tone. "Just wait here, alright? I'll go and -"

He didn't hear anything else as Elena's screams added to the sounds of the night. He jumped out of the car and ran. He could see a group of people, one man standing, another on the ground straddling...

"Elena," he whispered, forcing himself to go faster, oblivious to Jessica right next to him.

He winced a little when Jess' gun went of, but didn't slow even as he saw the unknown man's body fall to the ground. As he drew closer, he realized that it was Stefan on top of Elena, his arms on either side of her, devouring her mouth.

* * *

><p>The sound of a gunshot sounded in Elena's ears, and she froze, pushing Stefan away and looking around for -<p>

Just as she glanced up, someone blurred over her, taking Stefan with them, allowing Elena to finally sit up and look around. Klaus was on the ground, and someone was approaching softly, a gun trained on his unconscious form.

"What -? Who -?"

"Elena," came a familiar voice. "Elena, it's Jessica. Are you hurt?"

"Jessica?" she answered, confused. Since when did Jessica have guns? And leave the penthouse?

Both women were distracted by a sharp yell. Turning, they spotted the Salvatore's rolling, over and over, along the pier. When they finally stopped, Damon was on top, one hand gripping the front of Stefan's shirt, the other clenched into a fist driving into the younger man's face.

With a sudden burst of strength, Stefan pushed up, throwing Damon off of him and jumping to his feet.

"Hello brother," he goaded, bringing his foot back to aim several hard kicks at the elder's ribs.

Elena noticed that Jessica had brought her gun back up, but before she could shoot, Damon had grabbed Stefan's leg and yanked him back down. The blue-eyed man rolled on top of his brother, raising his fist to pummel him once more. But the younger man thrust up with his knee, making contact with the elder's groin and reversing their positions. He grabbed Damon by the collar, and looked up to meet Elena's wide eyes, and -

With one arm, Jessica shoved Elena to the side as she simultaneously pulled the trigger, sending a bullet tearing through Stefan's shoulder. He fell back with the momentum of the shot, and Jess darted forward, incapacitating the injured man.

Elena scrambled to her knees, shuffling forward to where Damon lay, panting and bloody. His breaths were coming fast and shallow, and with a wracking sob, she lowered her head to press a kiss to his swollen mouth.

"Are you okay?" Damon rasped.

"Me?" she shrieked, looking him over. Her eyes met his again, and then she looked up to where Jessica was manhandling Stefan into submission. "What the _hell_ is going on here?"

* * *

><p>Damon sat, his head cradled in Elena's lap, watching the paramedics and the police bustle about the pier. He'd told his girlfriend as much about Jessica as he could manage before the pain in his side became too much and he could just lay, thanking whatever deity was listening that everyone was okay.<p>

"As if Jess has a licence to kill," Elena murmured, her eyes trained on her housemate as the woman stood, ordering police officers around to a surprisingly low amount of resistance.

"Mmm... Yeah," Damon breathed, reaching up to stroke her cheek, but wincing as pain shot up his side again.

"Stop moving," she scolded him, leaning down to kiss him.

Slightly mollified by her tender treatment, he sighed, relaxing in her arms.

"This is not how tonight was supposed to go," he whispered bitterly. "There was a plan. They ruined my plan."

He pouted at Elena as she pulled back and narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean, 'a plan'?" Damon shook his head, reaching instinctively for his pocket and hissing again in pain. "Stop moving!" she growled again.

She moved to slap his arm, but grazed the side of his leg on the way, knocking the box-shaped bulge. The injured man swallowed hard, hoping against hope that she wouldn't notice it. Unfortunately for him, she did.

"What's this?" she breathed, slipping her hand into his pocket and gasping.

Damon fidgeted, trying to dislodge her searching fingers but only causing himself more pain. She pulled the velvet box out, her hand shaking, as she glanced from it, to his blue eyes, and back again.

"What is this?" she repeated, her voice shaking.

He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that his whole night was ruined anyway. "Open it," he suggested.

She frowned at him, then moved her other hand around to pop the box open and reveal the gold ring, with a row of modest diamonds set into it.

"Damon, is this -?"

In spite of the pain, he reached up, weakly plucking the ring from the box and holding it over his chest.

"Elena Gilbert, will you marry me?" he rasped, his blue eyes meeting her brown ones hopefully.

She sat, frozen, staring at the ring with her mouth slightly open. Her eyes were tearing up, and Damon began to panic.

"You don't have to say yes," he pointed out, " Just, maybe, say something."

He reached up further to wipe her tears away, and she jumped suddenly, slapping his free hand away while wrapping her fingers around the one with the ring.

"Stop moving!" she shrieked, panicked. "You're going to puncture your lung, and die before the paramedics get to you, and I can't live without you, Damon. I just can't!"

She folded over, covering his mouth with hers in a desperate kiss, seasoned with her terrified tears. She pressed both of her hands to his chest, keeping him from moving again as their tongues danced together.

"Is that a yes?" Damon asked against her lips.

Elena pulled back, and for the first time in hours, the lawyer relaxed. She was smiling, her face glowing in spite of her tears. She released the hand with the ring, and held out her fingers.

"Yes!" she cried, curling over to kiss him again as he slid the ring onto her finger.

* * *

><p>Jessica rolled her eyes as she followed the paramedic over to where Damon and Elena sat, intertwined. He was trying to get the couple's attention to examine Damon properly, but was thus far unsuccessful.<p>

"Good luck," she muttered at the man in uniform. "Seriously, you won't get them until they surface naturally. And that could take forever."


	21. The First Day

**A/N: *long exhale* Ok, so I'm having a really hard time with this. See, whenever I write in canon, well, at least the story keeps going on the show. But closing this one is awfully final. I hope this epilogue is satisfying, and please let me know what you think of it.**

**Related: I'm considering doing a teeny little one-shot prequel about Elijah. Yay, or nay?**

**Thanks for for joining me with this story; it's been a helluva ride!**

**Shameless self-promotion: Twitter - SweetWillowTree**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

><p>Elena sighed as she dropped her straightener on the bathroom counter, grabbing her cell phone and holding it to her ear. She'd been on the phone with Jenna since Damon had woken her up with the ringing device, and she was quite ready to be done with conversation.<p>

"Look, Jenna, you're on your honeymoon. I get that you always worry about us, but all of the bad guys are either dead or have been in jail for six years. Just, get back into bed with Ric and I'll see you when you get back."

Without waiting for her sister's answer, Elena hung up, rolling her eyes at her sister's nagging, and throwing the handset on the bed. Sighing into the full length mirror behind the bedroom door, she examined her reflection one last time, adjusting her blouse and picking lint off her jeans. With a scowl, she finally turned and left the room, convinced that it was just going to be one of those days. When she made it to the foyer, she stopped at the side table, picking up the mail and idly browsing through it on her way to the kitchen. When she noticed the blank postcard from Costa Rica, she smiled and skipped through the door.

"Hey, Damon, guess who -"

She froze, eyes narrowing on the two identical heads of messy black hair before she scanned the kitchen in dismay, from the box of Cocoa Puffs to the television on the counter. Damon turned at her hesitation, eyes widening comically at her expression, before pulling the little boy out of his chair and pushing him toward the door.

"Run Leo! Mommy's angry!"

The boy's blue eyes grew round and he darted out of the kitchen, screaming the whole way. Elena glared at Damon as the couple listened to their son barrel up the stairs and slam himself in his room.

"You're hilarious," she deadpanned. "Seriously Damon, you can't keep making me into the bad guy. He already copies all of your bad habits."

To emphasize her point, she roughly removed the box of cereal from his possession and throwing it angrily into the cupboard.

"You know he's not supposed to eat sugary cereal during the week, and -" She turned to the small television, currently set at a news channel, Andie's image and voice broadcast throughout the room. "- And I asked you to please take the TV out of here. He doesn't need to be a slave to it."

Without speaking, Damon rose and pulled Elena into his arms, kissing the crown of her head.

"Are you stressed out because it's his first day?"

"No," she pouted into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Maybe," she finally admitted.

"Well," he pulled back to meet her eyes, "Just so you know, he did have a whole apple with cheese before the cereal. And he only got the cereal because _he's_ nervous about his first day. He knows it isn't happening again, and that he's damn lucky that I'm the one who made him breakfast this morning. And as for the TV thing... Andie was just here for a whole week. He misses her. It made him feel better."

"I know," Elena sighed, burrowing into his chest again. "You always do that, you always make everyone feel better. I'm just being a bitch."

She stepped away and moved to the fridge, pulling out the ingredients she needed to make Leo his lunch. She hadn't even opened the bread before Damon's arms wrapped around her waist, his lips pressing against her neck.

"You're not a bitch; you're just stressed. And we're both head over heels for you. " His fingers trailed along her abdomen, playing with the buttons of her blouse. "I'll bet I could destress you..."

The pair were so wrapped up that they didn't hear the thumping sound of little feet until it was too late.

"I'm dressed!" came a sharp voice from behind them.

Elena jumped and elbowed Damon, who dodged out of the way, grumbling. They both turned, flushed, to look at the little boy standing in the middle of the kitchen, sending them a knowing look.

"Daddy, you need to leave Mommy alone in the morning. She gets mad when you make her late because you need hugs. Right Mommy?"

"Exactly right, Leo," Elena answered, nodding at him. She scanned his tiny body, checking to make sure he was wearing the clothes they'd picked out the night before. "Do you need me to fix your pants?" she asked, crouching down and reaching for him.

"I need you to fix _my_ pants," she heard Damon mumble from above before he made his way to the door. "I'll just go shower and get ready. Don't leave without me!"

After buttoning Leo's jeans, Elena lifted him to sit on the counter while she made his sandwich. The little boy chattered for a little while, swinging his legs.

"What am I going to be when I grow up?" he asked spontaneously.

Elena frowned, cutting the sandwich into fours. "Well, you could be a lawyer like Daddy?" She looked over at Leo's scowl and laughed. "Or a reporter like me?" Again, he scowled. "Alright grumpy," she teased, leaning over to tickle him. "What do you want to be?"

With an exhausted sigh, he hunched over, his elbows on his knees, chin in his hands. "I haven't decided yet. But I think I'm supposed know before I start school." His brows wrinkled, and he shrugged. "What does Daddy want me to be?"

At that, Elena laughed, remembering the only time they had discussed what path their child would take. "When you were still in my tummy, Daddy thought that you were going to be a girl. No matter what I told him, he always said that you were going to be his princess."

"Gross," Leo grumbled, kicking his legs again. "Felicity always makes me play prince and princess with her, and I think the princesses are boring."

"Well, you have a lot of time to think about it, okay," she pointed out to him, brushing his hair out of his eyes and kissing his forehead. "So why don't you get your schoolbag, and I'll go get Daddy, and we can leave?"

The little boy nodded emphatically, sending her a wide, gap-toothed smile, and hopped down from the counter to run back up to his room. Elena followed him slowly after packing his lunch and placing it on the side table. As she ascended the stairs, and approached her and Damon's bedroom, she heard the distinctive sound of her blow dryer running.

"Oh yes!" she squealed to herself, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and slipping quietly into the room. "Gotcha!" she exclaimed, taking a quick picture of her husband blow drying his hair before he was able to hide the appliance. "I knew it! I knew you were using my blow dryer, you liar!"

She shrieked when Damon suddenly jumped at her, lifting her from her feet and pinning her on the bed. He plucked the phone from her hand and quickly deleted the picture while she pouted at him.

"I win," he announced, cocking an eyebrow at her and ducking his head for a kiss.

She dodged him so he ended up nuzzling her neck. "Damon," she warned. "Damon, no. We have to go... Leo's waiting for us."

With a massive effort, Damon pulled himself up and off of her. "I've been cockblocked by my own son so many times..."

"Oh," she cooed, throwing his sweater at him and straightening out her own clothes. "That's so cute; you actually thought we were going to have sex this morning."

* * *

><p>"Did Tyler take the day off too?" Elena asked, turning the page of her newspaper as the limo cruised down the road.<p>

Damon frowned, looking up from where his Batman was being clobbered by Leo's Spiderman.

"He did, why?"

"Well, with Ric out of town, who's taking care of business?"

"Jeremy," the man answered casually, swooping his action figure back down.

"Jer -?" Elena spluttered, dropping the newspaper. Damon congratulated himself on finally, after five years of marriage, he had succeeded in distracting her from her damned newspaper. "You left my _brother_ in charge?"

As Damon opened his mouth to respond, he was cut off by the boy next to him.

"What if I don't know anyone?" Leo asked his parents.

"Felicity will be there," Elena pointed out.

The boy crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm mad at her; she makes me watch her fashion shows."

"Mmm," Damon hummed, leaning back and stretching out his legs. "Her mom used to make me watch _her_ fashion shows. But at the end, Caroline would -"

The rest of his words were muffled as Elena clapped a hand over his mouth. He pressed a quick kiss to her palm just as Jerry buzzed into the back that they were near the school. Leo's eyes widened in panic, and he climbed into Damon's lap.

"I don't want to go!" he whined, grabbing onto his father's jacket.

Elena reached over to stroke the boy's back. "But you've been so excited, sweetie. And we aren't just leaving you there, okay? We can stay all day if you want."

The car slowed to a stop, and Leo burrowed further into Damon's chest. The man shrugged at his wife, who raised her eyebrows back at him. He knew what she was saying; he would have to carry their son out of the car this time because she refused to be the bad guy. Again.

"C'mon, little man," he grunted, sliding along the seat and out the door that Jerry was holding open. "Aunt Rose will be really sad if you bail on her, remember?"

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to work either, so Damon wound up carrying Leo up the winding path to the front door, Elena next to him carrying the tiny school bag.

"Elena! Damon!" came a shrill shout from behind them.

Leo's head immediately rose, and he scrambled out of his father's arms, landing on his feet and running back. The parents turned to see Caroline and Tyler trailing behind a doll-like blonde girl. The two children met halfway, clasped hands and then scurried back up to the doors of the school.

"I don't think I'll ever understand how that works," Tyler grumbled, scratching the back of his head.

"Why is that?" Elena grunted as Caroline dragged the Salvatore's into a tight embrace.

"She just spent the whole car ride complaining that Leo won't play dress up, or act like a prince. I don't know, all that girly stuff she does," he answered.

"Oh! I just know that they're going to get married someday!" Caroline gushed, making Damon roll his eyes.

Elena laced her fingers between his and squeezed his hand, winking at him as the blonde woman babbled on their way inside the school. They spotted their children at the door of the kindergarten classroom, peeking in nervously before hopping back to discuss with each other. The parents hung back, watching the kids, until Damon felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun to see Rose standing behind him.

"Hey!" he smiled, pulling her in for a hug and a peck on the cheek.

She made the rounds, choosing to shake Tyler's hand, and led the group to the classroom.

"So are the kids excited?" she asked Elena and Caroline.

Damon and Tyler broke off, drifting along the edge of the room, keeping an eye on their children. Not that they would ever admit it, but releasing their offspring into the public school system was a terrifying notion. Once the kids had busied themselves with a book, or rather, Felicity had forced Leo to sit and listen while she told him the story, the men wandered back to their wives.

" - just wish she'd put in _something_ about how she's doing. I worry about her," Rose was saying, flipping a blank postcard over in her hands.

"Another message from Jess?" Damon asked, plucking an identical postcard from Elena's hands and flinging an arm over her shoulders.

At that moment, he felt her phone vibrate against his leg, and she jumped, reaching in to answer the call.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, trying to grab the handset from her. "No cell phones during family... things. That's your rule!"

Elena smirked at him, pecking him on the lips before dancing away. "It's important; I promise, I'll tell you in a bit!"

And with that, she left the classroom, Damon's eyes locked on the spot where he'd last seen her.

"God!" Caroline exclaimed, grabbing him by the front of his jacket and shaking him. "You are so whipped!"

"Proudly," he grinned, winking at Rose, who merely shook her head in exasperation. He looked over at the kids, watching Leo follow Felicity to a bin of blocks. "And it's genetic," he deadpanned, pointing across the room.

"Well," Rose began, glancing up at the clock, "The bell will be ringing soon. If you want to stay and observe, you're more than welcome."

And sure enough, the bell rang, causing several children to jump. Rose took over, corralling the group with practised ease, so that within a few short minutes, the entire classroom was spotless. The teacher started off by establishing rules and explaining the schedule of the day. Sometime during her speech, Elena slid back in the room, and smiled a little at Damon, slipping under his arm once more.

"Phone call?" he mouthed, frowning at her.

"Later," she whispered under her breath.

"Alright," Rose announced, "So if you want to go and say goodbye to your parents, then you may grab a snack and sit down at the table!"

Like a shot, Leo hopped up and ran over to his parents. "Okay, you can leave now," he announced.

The couple looked at each other, then back at him. "Are you sure?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, bye." And without any further discussion, he was gone.

"Wow," Elena breathed. "That was unexpected."

"Yeah," Damon answered, waving a little to Rose and ushering his wife out of the room. "I mean, what are we going to do with the rest of our day? No kid, no work..."

They'd managed to make it as far as the path outside, the blue-eyed man whispering extremely provocative things into Elena's ear, when they were forced to stop.

"Hey! Guys! Wait up!" With clicking heels, Caroline caught up to them, Tyler trailing behind. "Why don't we go and do lunch or something?"

Damon groaned, fidgeting and pouting at Elena. He had a million and one ideas for how they could spend their suddenly free day, and lunch with the Lockwood's was _not_ on the list.

"Actually, I have some work to do, and Damon promised to clear out some stuff in storage, so..."

"Oh," the blonde winked, nudging her own husband lightly. "I get it. Well then, we'll see you later. Or did you want us to drop Leo off for you, in case you get lost in 'storage'."

"Funny, Care," Damon said flatly, waving at Jerry to start the car. "See you later!"

He skipped over to where the car had pulled up, holding the door open for Elena and following her into the car. Where he abruptly launched himself onto her neck.

"Yes! Car sex!" he blurted, gripping her hip in one hand, and a handful of her hair in the other.

"Damon," she moaned, flattening her hands on his chest in an attempt to push him back. "Damon, we need to talk about something."

"Then talk," he whispered, unbuttoning the top of her blouse.

"It's about that phone call." Damon sighed and pulled away, sliding across the seat. "Thank you," Elena smiled, sitting up on her knees and taking his hand. "So, do you remember that really, _really_, great weekend we had in July?"

"Oh yeah," he answered, closing his eyes and leaning back, one hand squeezing her thigh. "My dream is to bring you to Greece at least once a month."

"Well," she leaned in, just hovering over his lips, "I can pretty much guarantee that we won't be able to have another weekend like that for about another three years."

Blue eyes snapped open and narrowed on her brown orbs. "Why are you teasing me, Elena?"

She smiled at him, and he noticed for the first time that she had tears in her eyes. "So, just wondering, but how badly did you want a 'Daddy's Little Princess'?"

For a moment, all Damon could do was blink confusedly. When he realized what she was saying, he sat up and slid to the floor, unbuttoning the bottom of her blouse.

"Damon, this really isn't the time to -"

He shushed her, opening the shirt and pressing feather-light kisses to the pink line that ran down her stomach, evidence of Leo's birth, intersecting with her older, and much less pleasant, scar.

"Damon, what are you -?"

"Hello Princess," he cooed. "Do you like ponies? Daddy's going to buy you a pony today."

Elena giggled, slipping her fingers into her husband's hair and massaging his scalp. "Maybe you should hold off on the pony until we make sure that the baby's actually -"

"Sh!" he hissed, pressing a finger to her lips, eyes still locked on her stomach. "Mommy's going to jinx you. But we both know that you're going to be my little girl, right?"

"Ugh," the brunette snapped, cupping his face and pulling him up. "Stop talking and kiss me already!"

* * *

><p>"Ah! Damon!"<p>

Jerry rolled his eyes, turning his music up a little louder and deciding that, for Mr Salvatore's sake, he'd circle the block a few times.

After all, he _was_ used to it by now.


End file.
